


A Fateful Intervention

by Eponime



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2017-12-07 18:11:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eponime/pseuds/Eponime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Klaine AU: When Blaine defends a beautiful yet brave man from two violent drunks, he has no idea of the events his actions have set into motion, or how this small altercation has changed the course of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gangs and Muggers

**Author's Note:**

> This is also posted on fanfiction.net and tumblr (same username). Have fun reading!

Blaine shivered as he walked hurriedly along the footpath. The autumn evening itself was relatively mild, but the icy fangs of wind devouring his ears made the oil-black air feel that much chillier. And then there was the whole atmosphere. Blaine's apartment was in quite a quiet part of New York. He would usually refer to it as peaceful, although tonight it seemed to be verging on _sinister_.

Sporadically-placed streetlights spilt their artificial sunshine on to the pavement, and twisted trees cast spooky shadows. The entire effect was that Blaine felt as though he had somehow been transported back to the early 1900s, when gangs roamed the area and muggers lurked in darkened alleys, just waiting for an unsuspecting victim to come along. Like Blaine, for example.

 _"Why didn't I just hire a cab?"_ he thought irritably. _"Idiot. It's not far to the restaurant. It wouldn't have cost that much."_

Blaine surreptitiously glanced around for potential muggers, pulling up his scarf as he did so. Attempting to take his mind off the nightmarish creatures his brain was turning every half-concealed rubbish bin into, Blaine started singing softly:

_Let's go all the way tonight_

_No regrets, just love_

_We can dance until we die_

_You and I, could be young forever..._

 

The stupid song had been playing at the party last night, and had been stuck in Blaine's head on and off ever since.

He chuckled softly as he thought of the party. It hadn't been just your... _usual_ party. Mind you, no party involving the Warblers ever was. They had seemed to have decided that because a large swathe of their number was missing, the Warblers who were in attendance had to somehow make up for the others' absence. Unervingly, this they had almost accomplished.

Blaine had enjoyed the party, he truly had. It had been great to see at least some of his friends again, and he had certainly had fun. It was just that whilst watching Nick and Jeff together, as well some of the other couples, Blaine had realised that he felt rather lonely. And now here he was, going out to dinner on his own. _By himself._ Blaine sighed. He hated the fact that he was so dependent on attention, but it was true.

"Oh well," he murmured to himself, "Soon I'll be starting at NYADA. Maybe I can make a few new friends there? That would be nice. And who knows? Maybe I'll meet that 'special someone'?"

The thought of this put a small, but sunny, grin on his face. It also, however, reminded him of 'Teenage Dream'. Damnation. Yeah, the song was old, but he had to admit it wasn't too bad. Not like that 'Call Me Maybe' song. Urgh, now that was running laps around a racetrack in his mind! Blaine tried frantically humming 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to get it out. He had read somewhere that that worked. Just as long as 'Twinkle Twinkle' didn't get stuck in his head too!

_"Argh! Don't think of the song! Argh! No!Think of what you're humming! Twinkle, twinkle, little sta... what's that? It sounded like..."_

Blaine jogged around the corner and his worst suspicions were confirmed. A slim, rather elfin-looking man had just been pushed violently against the brick wall of an apartment building, hence the sound that Blaine had just heard. He was now stuck there like a post-it note, held down by two other men who both reminded Blaine rather forcefully of pugnacious pitbulls. Oddly enough, their victim didn't appear too frightened. Instead, when his (rather gorgeous, Blaine noted) aquamarine eyes met Blaine's own hazel, they simply looked resigned, as well as the slightest bit... _irritated?_


	2. Memories

The two drunks seemed to be coated in a miasma of alcohol fumes and cigarette smoke. As the shorter, stockier one leaned over to leer in his face, Kurt noticed that his eyes were pus-yellow, bloodshot and filled to the brim with hatred.

"Hey Ed! Look what we have here! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to dress like a girl, Fairy?"

"Actually," Kurt smirked, "She died when I was eight years old."

Speaking in this way almost ripped his heart in two, but Kurt knew that his words were his only form of defence. It worked. The two men glanced uncomfortably at each other. Why wasn't the little shit scared? They had no way of knowing that Kurt had honed his defensive skills against bullies all throughout high school, and that these skills were now razor sharp. Ready for the kill, as it were.

"Probably killed herself. Couldn't stand the shame of having a homo like you for a son." The taller, skinnier one now tried his luck, snarling.

Saliva sprayed from his mouth, like water droplets from a garden sprinkler, landing on Kurt's face. Kurt resisted the compulsion to rub the sticky substance off vigorously with his jacket sleeve. The thought of what this would do to the article of designer clothing in question, however, was marginally more revolting than the alternative.

_"Mummy," a seven-year-old Kurt piped, his small voice as sweet and clear as the sound of a flute, "why are there only princes and princesses in all the Disney movies? Why don't two princes get married? Or two princesses?"_

_Elizabeth Hummel sighed. She had hoped to save this particular talk for when her son was older. But Kurt always had been an extremely perceptive child._

_Elizabeth was also beginning to suspect that there was more to this question than simply innocent curiosity._

_"A man and more likely to be married than two men or two women, darling."_

_"But two men can be married?"_

_"Yes sweetie, but it doesn't happen very often."_

_"Why not, Mummy?"_

_Elizabeth hesitated, screwing up her face like a used tissue as she tried to figure out how to phrase her answer,_

_"Because most people fall in love with someone of the opposite sex. Some people don't, but that isn't as common. Because it doesn't happen as much, some people find it confusing. They don't believe that one man can love another man. So they can be rude to them. In fact, there aren't many places where two men are allowed to be married."_

_Kurt's raspberry lips squished together in a pout,_

_"But that's mean! If two men love each other they should be able to get married!"_

_"Who knows, sweetie? Maybe by the time you've grown up they'll be able to," Elizabeth smiled gently as she smoothed back her adorable little angel's hair, "would you like that?"_

Now Kurt smiled as well. His mother had been right. Here Kurt was in New York, one of the few places where gay marriage was legal, living his dream of studying at NYADA. And then these thugs had to stomp up and ruin it all.

Kurt glanced up and noticed someone watching him. The man had just jogged around the corner and now stood stock still, seeming chained to the pavement in shock. He was quite short, with slicked-down curly hair and cute triangular eyebrows.

'Oh crap. Get a grip, Kurt! Now is hardly the time to be turning into a big pile of goo just because you find a random stranger's eyebrows attractive!'

But then their eyes met, and Kurt suddenly found himself thinking how the stranger's eyes looked just like a mixture of honey and melted chocolate. He felt as though he could drown in them forever, and never become bored with their numerous highlights.

Kurt was wrenched roughly back to reality, however, as Ed grabbed the front of his striped merino vest.

"Hey Kyle!" he grunted, "Pixie's back in Fairyland!"

"No one ignores us, not even a crappy little homo like you! Now answer our question, Lady, unless you want to meet Mr. Knuckles!"

"I'm sorry, I find it difficult to comprehend you when speak in that peculiar language of yours. What is it? An obscure dialect of... Ape?" Kurt may have appeared outwardly calm and catty, but inside his heart was the drummer in a rock band, and his tightly clenched fists were shaking slightly, quite like a scared rabbit.

"Alright, that's it!" snarled Kyle, drawing back his fist to punch Kurt.

"Really, if you're going to punch someone, you have to do it properly. Now, I've been boxing for more than ten years; in fact I was the Ohio lightweight champion for three consecutive years. Therefore I can safely say that that punch will have next to no power behind it," with this, the cute stranger stepped forwards, "I'm Blaine. I'm also gay. you're welcome to try and beat me up too, but if you value your skeletons in one piece, I suggest you leave now."

The two thugs hesitated for a moment. Then,

"Keep your boyfriend, lover boy! We sure as hell don't want him!" Ed snarled. They both peered around edgily. Spotting no passerbys in the near vicinity who could witness their humiliating defeat, Ed and Kyle crept away like spooked deer.

Kurt just stared at Blaine, litres of gratitude evident in his clear ocean gaze.


	3. Goodbyes

"Thank you for that," Kurt smiled gratefully, "I mean, it was just a punch..." " _Stupid! He saved you! Why are downplaying that, you idiot?_ "

"...But who knows how far they might have gone?" Blaine broke in. "You _did_ do a pretty good job of making them angry..." " _Yeah, that's right Blaine. Way to go. Keep on criticising."_

"He spat all over my face! _I_ was angry!" Kurt hissed indignantly, cat-like. " _Woah! Overreaction, much? It's just your nerves. Damn, he's cute!"_

"Yes, well, I do see your point... Do you want a handkerchief? We wouldn't want to ruin your Marc Jacobs coat! " " _Great, now he probably thinks you're a weirdo. What kind of person carries a handkerchief?"_ Blaine thought irritably to himself.

"Thank you," Kurt took the chequered handkerchief that Blaine was holding out to him. Their fingers brushed together slightly and both men blushed nervously. There was an awkward silence whilst Kurt wiped the spittle from his face, and Blaine just watched.

"So... what are you doing here?" Blaine snapped the silence like a block of cold Cadbury's chocolate.

"Here in New York or here in this rather sinister alleyway?" Kurt enquired with a small laugh.

Blaine coloured again, "Well... both, I guess."

Kurt grinned, "I'm from Ohio too. Lima, in fact. I actually only arrived here this afternoon. I was just going to wander around and try to find a place to eat when I ran into those two thugs."

"Hey! I was going for dinner too! I know a really good Thai - well, to be honest, more a 'generic Asian noodles'," Blaine rolled his eyes, but continued, "- place just a block or two from here. I'm a bit of a regular there. Do you like noodles?"

"I love noodles! Do you mind if a tag along?"

"I would love that! I mean, no sense in us going separately, right?" There was another cringe-worthy pause.

"Here's your handkerchief back," Kurt offered, "thank you again so much."

"It was no problem," Blaine grinned back, "although you seemed to be holding your own pretty well."

"Yeah, lots of practise against bullies in high school. And being shoved against a brick wall isn't that different to being shoved against a locker," Kurt shrugged with a wry smile, "I'd never thought I'd ever be grateful to those thick-skulled jocks for anything, but..."

"I must say, I thought the reference to apes was very clever," Blaine chuckled

"Well, _you_ certainly managed to scare them off effectively! You sounded quite impressive. Were you really an Ohio champion?"

"Yeah. I guess boxing was sort of a way to let off some excess steam. I didn't get many opportunities for that at home or at school."

"You had a pretty conservative family, huh?"

"You could say that," Blaine winced.

"In what way?" Kurt enquired curiously. He could sense that this was a particularly tender topic, but was interested in spite of himself.

"Well, my parents were both doctors. They were always fairly busy. And it wasn't as though they didn't accept the fact that I was gay, I just think that they never really understood it." Kurt made a soft noise of sympathy. Blaine continued on, "I also went to quite a posh all-boys school. Individuality was definitely tolerated, but never really... encouraged."

" Hmmm... I understand why you took up boxing, then! I guess _I_ found my release through singing."

"You sing?"

"Yeah, I was a member of my school's glee club. We were called the 'New Directions'. Pretty lame, I know, but that club was my whole world. I've only been away from them for a few days, but already I miss them so much!" Kurt looked sad for a minute, remembering his friends' goodbyes.

_The trip out to the airport was silent. Even Finn, who usually had plenty to say, remained lost in a maze of his thoughts. Who would have guessed two years ago that Finn would be so sad at Kurt moving? But the truth was that without Kurt's companionship, the football player was convinced that he would be horrendously lonely._

_For Carole, losing Kurt was exactly the same as if he was her biological son. The young man to managed to steal softly into her heart and remain there._

_"I'll have Finn," Carole tried to reassure herself. She knew it wouldn't be the same, however._

_Burt and Kurt had been dependant on each other ever since Kurt's mother had died, when Kurt was just eight years old. Because of this, they were extremely close and had a much stronger relationship than most fathers and sons. Burt couldn't imagine being without Kurt. He knew that this coming year would be one of the hardest of his life._

_"Hell, it was awful enough when he went to New York for Nationals. How will I manage to survive this?"_

_Thankfully, (or unfortunately, depending on which way you look at it) the journey to the airport was fairly short. The Hudmels were forced to circle for a few minutes, like an eagle hunting a rabbit, before they managed to locate a place to park. No one mentioned that it would have perhaps been easier to have Kurt take a taxi to the airport. They all wanted to spend as much time with him as possible._

_The family trooped across various roads and through the glass sliding doors that marked the entrance to the airport._

_"Surprise!" The New Directions seemed to magically apparate, causing Kurt to spring into the air like a startled gazelle._

_"What are you guys doing here?"_

_"Seeing you off of course, Dude!" Finn answered for the assembled group._

_"Yeah, you surely didn't expect us to let you leave without saying goodbye?" Mercedes exclaimed incredulously._

_Kurt eyes began to glimmer slightly, tears forming a thin, transparent window through which he gazed upon all of his friends._

"Hey, you alright?" Blaine queried, concerned. Kurt blinked rapidly. _Gee, start tearing up in front of him, why don't you?_

"Sorry," Kurt shook himself, embarrassed.

"No, it's fine. I miss my friends too. They were sort of like my family. Actually, they were probably a better family than my real one!" although Blaine laughed when he spoke that last sentence, Kurt noticed that it was tinged with bitterness, like spots of mildew on the yellowed pages of an ancient book. He decided not to press it.

"Is this the restaurant?"

 


	4. The Restaurant

The restaurant was opposite a park. Kurt was sure that the park would be a lovely place to stroll in during the daylight hours, but just now, when it was dark, it looked rather scary.

Kurt had never been one of those children who were afraid of the dark, or the monsters under his bed. However, he couldn't stop himself shooting the park nervous, twitchy glances like a stalked gazelle.

_"I'm glad I'm here with Blaine,"_ he thought, _"especially after what just happened with the thugs."_ Kurt shuddered as he relived that moment. Things could have ended very badly, if Blaine had not intervened.

The trees in the park were menacing giants, reaching out their wooden arms as if to emanate fairytale travelers. They communicated in creaking whispers and rustles, seeming to be conspiring about how they were going to accomplish their kidnappings.

"They're rather freaky at night, aren't they?" Blaine had noticed the direction of Kurt's gaze, "It's my favourite spot to go during the day, though. It's really quite beautiful then." Kurt blushed, and was glad Blaine would not be able to see it in the darkness.

"Yes, I can imagine it would be." This was true. The park did look like the perfect place to spend a summer's afternoon. But the thought of entering those dark shadows now caused slivers of ice to slide down Kurt's spine.

Thankfully, their destination, the restaurant across the street, overflowed with light, and seemed to exude a powerful sense of safety. It was not the most flash place, but must have been quite popular, as almost every table was full. As they were entering, Kurt noticed a note taped to the inside of the window,

"They're looking for waiting staff and I need a job. Maybe I should apply?" That had been one of the things Kurt was most worried about; earning enough money to pay for basic living expenses. It wasn't fair to expect Burt and Carole to support him whilst he was living in New York.

"Hey, they are too! I was supposed to get a job when I arrived here about two months ago, but never got around to it. I didn't think of working here. It would be perfect!" Blaine didn't have this problem. His parents were more than happy to keep sending money over to him at regular intervals. Blaine had felt slightly guilty about this, however, and had wanted the feeling of being able to support himself.

"It would be good if we could work here together," Kurt realised what he had said and hastily backpedaled, "I mean, at least we know each other..."

"Yeah, that would be awesome!" Blaine replied enthusiastically, "How about we ask about it when we order?" In Blaine's opinion, the only thing better than working at his favourite restaurant was working at his favourite restaurant with Kurt.

"Um... Sorry guys but you're blocking the door..." Both men whipped around as the stranger spoke.

"Oh, sorry!" They had completely forgotten where they were.

_"That's embarrassing,"_ Kurt groaned to himself _, "We must look like star-crossed lovers, or something."_

"Well, I guess we better go in, then!" Blaine suggested with a sheepish smile as he held open the door for Kurt to enter. _"Was that too forward?"_

"Why, thank you, kind sir!" _"Ugh, that sounded ridiculous. You're not a damsel in distress and Blaine is not some chivalrous knight! But he did rescue me, I suppose..."_

Kurt and Blaine stepped inside and made their way over to an empty table. Blaine pulled out one of the plastic chairs for Kurt, causing it to rasp against the tiles,

"Damnation! I always do that!" _"Oh, that sounds stupid. At least give people s chance to know you before you start getting all weird on them!"_

"Damnation?" Kurt inquired with a grin, _"That's adorable!"_ he thought to himself.

"Hey! It's so much more interesting a word than just plain 'damn'!" Blaine picked up the laminated menu, "I highly recommend the pad thai."

"That sounds great, then. I'll put my trust in your judgement!" They both went up to the counter to order,

"Hi there, Blaine. The usual?"

"Times two this time! Thanks Tash," he replied to the blonde girl behind the counter, his face stretched into a charming grin. Tash examined Kurt curiously,

"He's a cutie, isn't he?" she commented with a smile. Kurt blushed again, but this time there was nowhere to hide. Thankfully, Blaine's face had also turned a fetching shade of raspberry.

"Thanks Tash. This is Kurt. I ran into him on the way here."

"And invited him one in a date? don't you think that's rushing it a bit?"

_"Oh dear,"_ Blaine inwardly squirmed like a worm on a hook., _"That's embarrassing. I hope Kurt doesn't get the wrong idea."_

"I was looking for somewhere to eat," Kurt chipped in, "Blaine told me this was very good."

"I see," Tash said teasingly, "well, I hope you enjoy your meal!" Blaine started to pull out his wallet,

"No, I'll pay," Kurt offered, "You've done enough for me this evening."

"Hey, but I suggested you come here. It's fine. You deserve it," protested Blaine. Tash's eyes rolled up to the ceiling,

"He's almost as gentlemanly as you, Blaine. We'll be here all night. Why don't you just pay half each?" Both men sighed.

"Thanks, Tash. Full of good ideas as always."

"Anything for you, Blaine," Tash replied sweetly, "now go back to your table. You're holding up the other customers."

"Oh! Tash? Wait a sec," Blaine remembered what he was going to ask.

"Yep?"

"It said you were looking for more waitstaff. Any chance Kurt and I might get the job?"

"Sure! You'd be perfect! I'll talk to James. I bet he'll say yes. You _are_ our most loyal customer."

"Thanks so much, Tash!"

"How often do you come here?" Kurt gulped down his embarrassment as they headed back to their table, "Their most loyal customer?" Blaine laughed,

"Yeah. I discovered this place on my first night here and have come at least twice a week since." Blaine didn't know what it was about the restaurant the attracted him so. Yes, the food was amazing. But the were lots of fantastic places to eat in New York. Maybe it was the fact that this place was always buzzing; a hive of humans. When Blaine was there he didn't feel quite so lonely, even if he was usually by himself.

"Well, I'm grateful. I really need a job. It must be fate!" " _Fate that we met? I don't believe in fate. But it was certainly very lucky that Blaine came along when he did,"_ Kurt mused.Blaine smiled again,

"Yeah. So how come you're in New York? Are you studying here or something?"

"Yes. At NYADA. That's the New..." he got no further, however,

"...York Academy of Dramatic Arts!" Blaine interrupted excitedly, "That's awesome! I'm studying there too! Talk about fate..." Blaine couldn't believe how well this evening was going. Everything seemed to be going so perfectly.

"Oh my Gaga! I can't believe that! I was so nervous about tomorrow, and what everyone was going to be like. But at least we'll know each other." _"And I'll get to spend more time with you."_

"I was looking forward to meeting everyone. Truth be told, it's been pretty lonely these past couple of months."

"You're a bit of a people person, then?"

"I just like company, I suppose. I mean, the other people in my apartment block seem quite nice, but I haven't really had a chance to talk to any of them." Everyone just seemed to have their own agendas; their own things to do with no time for anything else. In actual fact, this applied to Blaine too. If he had to be strictly honest, he hadn't made as much of an effort as he might have done.

"What have you been doing all this time? I take it you moved here about two months ago."

"Not very much. It's been quite boring. I saw some of my friends from Dalton last night, and I usually see someone I know at least once a week. Other than that, well, I've been watching as many Broadway shows as possible, as well as shopping."

"You must be pretty lonely," Kurt stated sympathetically. He gazed into Blaine's eyes and tried to keep his bearings as his stomach went on a roller coaster ride.

"Not so lonely now," Blaine's head felt as though it was riding on a merry-go-round. _"Oh damnation. That had to be the stupidest, cheesiest thing possible to say. Why did I say that?"_ Kurt just smiled,

"Yeah. Not so lonely now." At that moment their food arrived, effectively causing the moment to spontaneously self-combust. Kurt picked up his chopsticks and took a mouthful,

"This is unreal!" The food was amazing; easily the best pad thai he had ever tasted.

"I'm impressed, you can use chopsticks! I still haven't managed to learn." Kurt knowing this skill just reinforced Blaine's image of his perfection.

"It's not all that hard. Here, I'll show you," Kurt leant over the table and, fumbling, positioned Blaine's fingers on the fiddly implements. His skin alternated between fire and ice as it came into contact with the other man's. He hesitated for a moment when he had done. Just as Kurt was about to pull away, Blaine put his free hand over Kurt's.

"Thanks," he smiled gently, but with as much warmth as a heater on a winter's day.

"Anytime," Kurt felt his cheeks growing hot again. His and Blaine's eyes locked together, and stayed like that even as they resumed eating.

"Would you like me to get some water?" Blaine asked after a while of eating in silence, their hands still touching.

"That would be lovely, thanks," Kurt watched as Blaine strolled back over to the counter _._

_"Damn, his arse is hot. Argh, Kurt, stop thinking like that! He's just a friend. Even if he is gay, and he practically held your hand... No, snap out of it, Kurt Hummel. Snap out of it now."_ And as he brought the water back to the table Blaine was thinking,

_"Was that too much of me? I shouldn't have held his hand. What if he thinks I'm really weird now? I really like him, and I don't want to ruin our friendship."_

They spent the rest of the meal chatting about NYADA, their interests and their lives in general. Thankfully, awkward pauses only made brief appearances, and were quickly hustled off the stage with new topics to talk about.

"I can't believe we're starting tomorrow," Kurt shook his head, "I wonder what the other people will be like?"

"Probably quite like us. I mean, they're obviously interested in musical theatre too. I would make sense that we would share other interests as well."

"I guess you're right," this reassured Kurt somewhat. Although he could appear outwardly confident, Kurt hated starting something and not knowing anyone. _"Well, Blaine will be there at least."_

By this time, both men had well and truly finished their food, and were just sitting at the table talking. After a while Blaine glanced down at his Rolex,

"We've been here for two hours!" he exclaimed, shocked. The time had seemed to speed past like a sports car with a turbo boost. How had it happened? Blaine could almost swear that only twenty minutes had passed since they had entered the restaurant.

"What? Really? No. We can't have been!" Kurt was just as astounded. He couldn't remember ever having enjoyed an evening more. The time he had spent with Blaine more than outweighed the events which had occurred prior to their meeting.

"I guess we better go, then. Where do you live?" Blaine grimaced, "Wow. Sorry. That sounded really creepy."

"No, it's fine," Kurt smiled at him, "I'd appreciate a little company. I'm not particularly keen to venture out on my own when those thugs might still be hanging around. Just as long as it's not too far out of your way. And will _you_ be alright walking home by yourself?"

"Oh, I think I'm pretty practiced at scaring them off now," Blaine joked, "and besides, it's not far to my apartment. It's only about two blocks away. It's next to a store. You might have passed it."

"Not Jim's Corner Store?" Kurt had spotted it when he had arrived.

"Yeah. That's the one. It's very handy." Blaine couldn't count the number of times that he had run out of milk and just popped next door to buy some more. Years of attending a private school with expectations as high as Dalton's had made Blaine very organised when it came to work. These skills did not extend to looking after himself, however, which had been one of the reasons why he had been in New York for two months and still not gotten a job.

_"Kurt does seem to be a good influence on me, though. I never would have asked about waiting, or even seen that sign, if he hadn't been there."_

"Is the apartment block brick, with a green front door?" Kurt felt a rising sense of excitement, _"No, it can't be..."_

"Yes, it is. Why?"

"Oh my Gaga! This is amazing! That's where I'm living too!" It was perfect, this evening was perfect. Well, except for the incident with the thugs, that is. But even though that had been horrible, it had led to the two men meeting. Yes, they would have met in a couple of days, when they both started at NYADA, but their relationship would not be anywhere near as close. After a while, Kurt and Blaine may have become firm friends, but that was no certainty.

_"I thought at first that the run-in with the thugs was some kind of omen for the rest of my life in New York. Now it seems that it was simply a pathway to meeting Blaine,"_ Kurt realised, _"I guess some disasters are just good things in disguise."_


	5. Whoops!

The walk home passed quickly, both men totally absorbed in excited chatter. They jabbered away like birds early in the morning heralding the rising sun - comparing notes on their apartments, wondering about what their neighbours were like and discussing places in the area where they could go for coffee.

"So you're telling me that even though you've been living in the same apartment block as them for two months, you STILL have no idea why they're even in New York?" Kurt asked incredulously.

Blaine shifted sheepishly. He looked down at the chewing gum-covered pavement beneath his feet and a slight blush spread its way across his tanned face,

"Well, when I said that I was a people person... I meant that I enjoy people's company. Once I get to know them. I sometimes just don't feel very comfortable talking to someone I've never met before."

"The fear of The Awkward Silence?" Kurt grimaced understandingly, the capitals apparent in his tone, "I used to be terrified of that. Eventually I realised that it's usually better to take the plunge, and to actually try and have a conversation with a stranger. Awkward silences can't kill you. And you've got to make friends somehow." Blaine sighed,

"I know. I've told myself that plenty of times. My brain just doesn't seem to want to believe it."

It was a problem that Blaine had struggled with ever since he was a small child. Well, that was not quite the truth. When Blaine had been younger, he had been one of the liveliest, most talkative, friendliest little boys in his class. Slowly, however, as he became more self-conscious, and his self-esteem began to plummet like the mercury in a thermometer placed on ice, Blaine also became more shy. It got to the stage where, if he spotted an acquaintance in a shop, Blaine would try subtly to keep out of sight behind the clothes racks and hope desperately that he wouldn't be spotted. Because Blaine knew that if he was spotted, he would be forced to engage in conversation with the person in question. And this he dreaded, because of the looming threat of The Awkward Silence.

"You were fine talking to me for the first time," Kurt pointed out gently.

"Yeah. I don't really know why. I've been thinking about that. Although we DID meet in quite unusual circumstances! I don't know," Blaine shrugged,

_'Or maybe it's because I felt I connection to you. Something about you just resonated in my heart. Oh god, Blaine. That sounds terribly corny. Not to mention creepy... Shut up now.'_

"I suppose we also have quite a few things in common."

"Or a lot of things!" Blaine laughed. Kurt smiled in response. He was silent for a few seconds thinking,

"How about if I come and talk to our neighbours with you? We ARE going to be living there for quite a while. It would be good to get to know them."

Blaine's smile inflated like a helium balloon and floated across his face, "That would be great! Thank you. The furthest I've ever gotten is smiling at them in the hallways and mumbling 'hi'. That's pretty useless..." he trailed off, the gas collapsing from his balloon, causing his smile to crumple.

"Hey, they'll love you! I know they will!" Kurt grinned encouragingly, "if you believe that, then subconsciously they'll have no choice but to adore you!"

_'Who couldn't... Seriously. That smile, those eyes. And not to mention his cute eyebrows! Ok, woah Kurt, stop right there. Now is NOT the time!'_

"You really think so?" Blaine asked hopefully.

"Well, I'd like to see them now, just to prove to you that you have absolutely nothing to fear. But I think it may be just a little late... How about we meet in the morning to go to breakfast together? Maybe that little cafe you were telling me about? Then, when you're suitably fortified, we can make our introductions." Blaine's balloon reappeared, even fuller than before,

' _Does that count as a date? I think I'm just going to count it as a date._ ' Excited, he replied,

"That sounds perfect! Thank you so much. It will be nice to have breakfast out for a change. And then, after that, I can help you unpack! I know how daunting that particular task can be."

"Oh, thank you. I haven't had time yet. I arrived so late and was so hungry that I just went out for dinner straight away."

This behavior was totally un-Kurt-like. Even now, the thought of his precious clothes trapped in a suitcase, quietly crumpling away, was like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard for Kurt. Not that Kurt had ever been overly bothered by that particular sound, strangely enough.

"I thought you mustn't of. What time, then? Is eight late enough for you?" When Blaine was on his own, he had been used to rising late in the morning. But now that Kurt was here he wanted to make a good impression.

"That should be fine. I'm a pretty early riser, but I might be a bit jet lagged. So hopefully that time will work perfectly."

Kurt usually woke up at six o'clock. After going through a 45 minute yoga routine that he had appropriated from an actual class and finely tuned over the years, Kurt would spend the rest of the time on his skin routine, doing his hair, and, most importantly putting together the day's outfit. Moving halfway across the country and having breakfast with a hot guy, however, was a valid enough excuse for Kurt to give his usual early-morning yoga a miss. For just this one day.

Kurt and Blaine turned the corner into their street, both of them quickening their pace, eager to get out of the icy air.

"You know when it's so cold that it just burrows into your bones and sends you half into a state of shock?" Kurt inquired, his teeth chattering.

"Oh yes. That's exactly how I feel now," Blaine replied. He also was shivering like a neurotic whippet.

"Me too." They sped up even more, breaking into a half-jog. Blaine reached the door first, and held it open for Kurt.

"Really Blaine? Again?" Kurt glanced at him skeptically.

"Yep! Hey, I'm just a gentleman at heart." Kurt smiled and shook his head,

"Thank you. Oh! It's so lovely and warm!" Kurt breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped through the doorway. The heat swept over him like a warm summer breeze, instantly unhunching his shoulders and straightening his spine.

Blaine speedily closed the door as soon as he was through.

"My bed's sounding SO nice right now." it could as well have been calling him, pulling him in like a vacuum caused by a passing train.

"I know! So warm and cosy..."

' _You can travel all over the world,_ ' Kurt reflected, ' _and stay in countless five-star hotels, but no bed is ever as comfy as your own.'_ Not that the bed waiting for him upstairs was his own. But at that very moment, Kurt just couldn't care less.

"Whereabouts is your room? I'll walk you up."

"Thanks. It's just on the third floor." any excuse to spend more time with Blaine was hungrily snatched by Kurt, even if that length of time would only measure a few minutes.

"Same! We must be opposite each other! That will be handy!" Blaine's life just seemed to be getting better and better.

There was a brief pause in the conversation as Kurt dug around in his messenger bag for the key,

"Um, Kurt?"

"Yes?" Kurt hesitated, the key in the lock.

"You know that plastic bit attached to the key?"

"What about it?"

"Well, there's a thing inside the door, and the plastic bit needs to be in it for the power to work..."

"Oh." Kurt cautiously cracked open the door.

"I swear it's colder in here than outside! Oh sugar."

"You can't sleep in there tonight. It will be like sleeping in an igloo! I've got two single beds in my room. Why don't you crash there?"

"I'm such an IDIOT," Kurt chastised himself, "I noticed that the lights wouldn't turn on when I first arrived, but I just presumed they'd blown or something."

"The land-lady didn't tell you?"

"No. She just must have forgotten. She did seem rather flustered."

"Oh, Mrs. Tesch is ALWAYS flustered. She can be a veritable mother hen sometimes! I don't quite know why; as far as I can tell this is her only job." Kurt tossed back his head and laughed delightedly,

"Now I'll just picture her clucking whenever I see her!" Blaine joined in, and was still chuckling as he pushed open his own door and switched on the light.

"I know it's messy. Sorry. As you know, I've been kind of used to living on my own..." Kurt shook his head,

"No, I like it. It has personality."

"You think that dirty dishes sitting on the sink add to the atmosphere?"

"Well, maybe not... But I do like the posters. A bit of an eclectic mix, though. Katy Perry and Greenday?" Kurt teased, "I've never even heard of those two," he mentioned, pointing two posters above the bed that he took to be Blaine's, due to the fact that it was still unmade.

"You probably wouldn't have," Blaine admitted, "They're not very well known. But they write REALLY good music. They're like the complete opposite of each other, though!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Boy & Bear are an Australian folk-indie band, and Freedom Call are a German power metal band."

Blaine had discovered these two groups quite by accident, whilst he was just randomly searching through YouTube.

"They do sound really different!" Kurt laughed, "Can you play some of their music? I'm really curious to see what it's like!"

"Sure thing. I'll play Boy & Bear. I think they're my favourite. And their album has an awesome name, too. 'Moonfire'. Doesn't that just sound so cool?" Kurt nodded,

"I like their actual name as well." he looked on in interest as Blaine wound his way across his (admittedly quite messy) bedroom, stopping at his desk. Pulling out a laptop, Blaine flipped up the lid.

"Come over here," he beckoned, "if you can!" Kurt watched as Blaine opened up iTunes. A drum beat started.

"This is one of my favourites. It's called '[Lordy May](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQYMeccD-sw)'. It might not mean much at first, but if you listen to the lyrics I reckon you'll quite like it."

_I wonder if my heart will be hungry,_

_I wonder when my body does decay,_

_I somehow imagined I'd walk this earth,_

_No, forever,_

_Forever..._

_Woah, and I've been through your garden and I've been to your grave,_

_Lordy May,_

_When I come to my dying days,_

_Would you promise me this; that I'll go in grace,_

_And I'd be happy to just float away,_

_Someday..._

As the song slowly faded out at the end, Kurt turned towards Blaine.

"I do love it," he said, his eyes shimmering like sun-stroked mist, "the lyrics are beautiful. Could you play any more of their songs?"

Kurt had always been interested in the concept of death. He supposed the curiosity stemmed from the fact that his mother died when he was wrong. At first Kurt presumed that she would be waiting for him in Heaven. Later, however, when he realised that he was gay, Kurt lost his faith in the religion that too frequently, it seemed, painted him as a sinner, and started searching for other possibilities.

"I will," Blaine promised, "but I want to show you Freedom Call first. Actually, this one's sort of about life and death too," he pointed to a song entitled 'The Circle of Life'. "But this one's my favourite. It's from the same album," Blaine continued as he clicked on 'Starlight'.

"That's actually really catchy," Kurt remarked, surprised, "how on earth did you find them?"

"Well, the Warblers were doing another song called 'Freedom Call'. I looked it up on YouTube and found this instead. Then I tried to convince everyone I knew of their awesomeness, with mixed results..." he chuckled, "I annoyed the hell out of some of them! But then, we were always annoying the hell out of each other." Kurt gazed astutely at the other man,

"You really miss them, don't you?" Blaine sighed,

"I do. I mean, I've seen some of them since I graduated. But they were my family, and it's just not right if we're not all together." he started to move over to grab his pajamas, (which consisted of an old Dalton t-shirt and a pair of shorts) then hesitated,

"Sorry Kurt. I'm kind of tired. Do you mind? I'll go get changed in the bathroom." Kurt shook his head,

"No, it's ok. I am too. Get changed here, I'll fetch my pajamas from my room and get changed in there." As Kurt made his way across the labyrinth that was Blaine's room and across the hallway to his own, personal slice of Antarctica, he mentally cursed himself for his words,

' _Why did I say that? That was stupid. Now Blaine's upset...'_

And as Blaine began undressing, he was thinking,

' _For God's sake, Blaine. Keep your emotions under control! Now you've offended him with your coldness...'_

Kurt returned to the tropical paradise of Blaine's room, clad similarly in a Mckinley t-shirt and shorts. He liked wearing the shirt, as it reminded him of his friends. Though that could sometimes be a bit of a two-edged sword...

Blaine was waiting for Kurt, standing next to his bed and smiling. The stain of his former gloom seemed to have been rinsed out, replaced instead by his usual infectious smile,

"The bed should be warm enough. If you're too cold, just say. You're welcome to this blanket."

"It's alright. Thanks so much Blaine. You've saved my life here."

"Possibly literally!" Blaine joked, "you could have frozen to death in there!" Kurt grinned to see a speck of Blaine's normal sunshine reappear.

Both boys snuggled deep down into their beds, curling up on their sides so that they were facing each other.

"Goodnight Blaine. Thank you so much. For everything."

"Goodnight to you too," Blaine grinned as he switched off the light, "I've loved every minute of it."

 


	6. Le Café

Kurt reluctantly creaked open his eyes and lay still on his back for a moment, slightly confused as to where he was. After a time, however, when his senses had fluttered back to roost in his head, and he remembered.

' _Oh, Blaine... Last night... The restaurant... The room...'_

He rolled over, slow and lazy. Blaine was still asleep, curled up on his side, his face peaceful, a small, serene smile hovering like a hummingbird on his finely-sculptured lips. Kurt didn't have the heart to wake him, so he quietly and carefully slid his legs out from under the covers and tip-toed into the kitchen, wincing as he stepped onto the cold tiles.

Kurt sorted through the cupboards, looking for the mugs. He had already spotted a coffee machine, and thought the least he could do for Blaine was to make him a cup of coffee.

_'We are going out for breakfast,'_ Kurt reasoned, _'but two coffees can't hurt.'_

Kurt had grown quite adept at making the beverage in question. As almost all of his money went into designer clothes, Kurt didn't have a lot to spare for buying coffee.

There was one problem, however. Coffee machines made a LOT of noise.

' _Oh well. He's got to wake up sometime. It's almost nine - so much for breakfast at eight! I guess we were both tired. And anyway, there are plenty of worse ways to wake up. It would just be awkward, for both of us, if I had to shake his shoulder or something.'_

Kurt finally located the mugs, and picked out a matching pair. The coffee machine was thankfully rather similar to his own, for which Kurt was grateful. He didn't want to poison the man by mistake!

Flinching inwardly as he switched on the machine, Kurt balanced over at Blaine. He was stirring sleepily, looking utterly adorable with his bed-mussed hair. The gel had worn off, and his curls were gleefully breaking free from their usual, helmeted prison. Blaine blinked open his eyes and Kurt hastily turned away, busying himself making coffee. He didn't want to look like he was STARING.

"Too early..." Blaine groaned, rolling over and burying his face in the crook of his elbow. He looked rather like a sleepy panther, Kurt thought amusedly. Admittedly a rather CUTE sleepy panther...

"No, Blainey. Not early. It's nine o'clock."

_'Oh my Gaga. I just called him Blainey! What the hell was I thinking? I've known him for less than a day!'_

Blaine chuckled, now much more awake,

"Blainey?" he queried. He seemed nonchalant on the outside, but inside his stomach was wobbling like a ice-skating newbie. Kurt's face warmed, even his ears turning red. His mind, usually a veritable dictionary of witty comebacks, failed to open.

"I like it," Blaine broke him free from the iron shackles of his embarrassment, "as long as I can call you Kurtie!" Kurt pretended to sigh, making an effort to control his mortification,

"I suppose that's fair..." he conceded reluctantly. Kurt usually hated it when people called him nicknames - and they had certainly tried - but when Blaine called him that he had to admit that it was kind of cute. And Kurt HAD started the whole thing himself in the first place...

"Good," Blaine grinned and sprang out of bed,"is that coffee you're making there?"

"I thought you might like some when you finally woke up," Kurt teased, regaining his usual composure and manner, "making a cup of coffee was really the least I could do for you after you let me crash in your room last night."

"Seriously, it was no bother," Blaine shook his head, "that bed is never used!"

"I thought we'd drink these, get ourselves organised and then head over to that café for breakfast," Kurt suggested, "and after that we can meet the neighbours!" Blaine groaned,

"I was hoping you'd forgotten about that..."

"That would be a bit of a long shot. I have an excellent memory," Kurt smiled smugly, a python digesting its prey, "unfortunately for you, my fine friend!" In a more serious time, he added, "Don't worry. It'll be fine. You might actually enjoy the experience. And I'm sure you'll be glad later!"

"I know," Blaine sighed, "but that still doesn't make it that much easier."

"Don't think about it. Busy yourself getting dressed. Then we'll have nice breakfast, return here, and then you can panic," Kurt reassured, half joking, half serious. Blaine drained his mug,

"You're right. Meet you back here in half an hour? Will that be enough time for you to get dressed?"

"You know me too well already. It'll be fine," Kurt similarly finished his coffee and started to exit. Just as he had entered the corridor, Blaine called half-laughingly in French,

"Merci beaucoup pour le café!" Somehow, he knew that Kurt understood French. It just fit the man's style. Then he added more seriously, in English, locking eyes with Kurt, "I really appreciated it." Kurt turned back and smiled enigmatically,

"See you in thirty minutes."

 

* * *

 

 

It took a while for Kurt to decide on which outfit to wear. It wouldn't do to be too fancy, but on the other hand, he wanted to impress. To impress Blaine, to be exact. Kurt was also forced to take a little less care with his hair than usual. On a normal day it would take him at least 15 minutes to arrange it perfectly and bind it with hairspray, but that amount of time was obviously not a luxury that Kurt could indulge in at that present moment.

When he was sure that he looked perfect, Kurt crossed the hallway (with slight trepidation, it must be admitted) and raised one slender hand to knock cautiously on Blaine's door.

Before he was able to, however, the door in question swung open and Kurt found himself face to face with the subject of his thoughts.

"Oh, hello there," Blaine exclaimed after a moment where the two men just eyeballed each other, gobsmacked, "I was just coming to fetch you."

"Well, here I am!" Kurt replied stupidly,

_'Really. What on earth is happening to my brain? My mental capacity seem to have been reduced to that of a four year old child's! This is just humiliating...'_

"Let's go, then. I'm hungry!" Blaine spoke after he felt the awkward pause had stretched on for a bit too long.

"Well, lead on," replied Kurt, snapping out of his surprise, violently quelling the uprising of his fast-beating heart and sweaty palms, "show me the way to this fine breakfast that awaits us!"

The short stroll to the café was fairly uneventful, filled only idle chatter. Breakfast went similarly smoothly, although the time seemed to flow a bit too rapidly for Blaine's liking. He was beginning to feel like he was stranded on a leaky raft in the middle of a river, about to tip over the edge of a waterfall but powerless to do anything about it.

_'I know Kurt's right about meeting the neighbours. I just wish that he wasn't...'_

 

* * *

 

In no time at all, it seemed, Kurt and Blaine had arrived back at their apartments.

"Time to face the thunder, dear, I'm afraid."

_'Oh, lord. I did it again. Called him a soppy nickname. I have GOT to stop doing that. We're just FRIENDS, for crying out loud! Toughen up, damn you.'_

Blaine heard the slip, but chose not to mention it to save Kurt the embarrassment. Inside, however, he was cheering.

_'He called me 'dear'. Did he mean anything? Gosh, I hope he did...'_

"Courage," he said instead out loud, almost slightly bitterly, "that's what my Dad always used to say to me. It was kind of his motto."

"Well, it's certainly very fitting for this occasion. Come on, you can do it," Kurt latched himself limpet-like onto Blaine's arm and began gently steering the reluctant man towards the nearest door, "now, who lives here?"

"Umm... I think her name's Sabina?" Blaine replied hesitantly, still trying to delay Kurt as long as possible.

"Very good. Now knock," Kurt commanded sweetly but firmly, almost like a kindergarten teacher, "and remember, 'courage'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merci beaucoup pour le café!" - "Thank you very much for the coffee


	7. Sabina and Oliver

Blaine glanced desperately at Kurt one last time, his hazel eyes wordlessly begging like lonesome puppy for any kind of reprieve. Kurt seemed to read his mind, however, and emphatically shook his head, a pretend-stern expression on his deceptively delicate features.

Blaine sighed in defeat, his shoulders crumpling and a trepidatious expression on his face. He reluctantly knocked (surprisingly firmly, it must be said,) on the door. Blaine then waited nervously for an answer, his fists clenched by his sides, shifting his weight anxiously from foot to foot.

After a few moments of tension-wracked silence, the door was opened by a rather striking girl of around Kurt and Blaine's age. She had an unusual, heart-shaped face with high cheek bones, short, layered, pale brown hair, full, rose-coloured lips and large, bright blue eyes which were a shade slightly greyer than Powerade. These eyes met Blaine's own in surprise, quite easily, as they were the same height.

"'allo, 'allo," the woman spoke in a fake cockney accent, then, in her usual tones, "your name's Blaine, isn't it?"

"That's right..." Blaine then trailed off completely for a few seconds. Kurt surreptitiously stepped hard on his foot and shot him an incredulous look which clearly said, "Seriously? Already? You said you were bad, but..."

Blaine coughed awkwardly, pulling himself together like he was stitching up a hole in an item of clothing. He rattled through the apparently-empty draws of his brain, searching feverishly for a way to renew the conversation. This was made slightly more difficult, however, by the fact that Blaine kept getting distracted by the pounding pain in his foot (the man's boots had heels!) and the knowledge that Kurt was standing beside him, waiting for him to speak.

_'Oh. Kurt...'_

"Ah, yes! This is Kurt, he's just moved into the building. He's the one who convinced me to try socializing a little," Blaine garbled a touch, relieved to have finally thought of something to say. Kurt held out his hand elegantly for Sabina to shake, after which Blaine hastily extended his own.

"I simply told him that he should get to know his NEIGHBOURS, at least," Kurt shrugged, "when he told me that he'd been living here for two months and never had a proper conversation with any of you I was aghast, to put it mildly."

"I do apologise for that, by the way," Blaine interjected, "I'm just not that good at talking to people." Now that he had started, however, the constricting tightness in Blaine's throat and chest was beginning to lessen, and the fairy floss in his brain was slowly dissolving into dark pink sugar particles of intelligence.

"No, that's fine. I'm sorry I didn't make much of an effort either," Sabina held the door open wider, seeming genuinely apologetic. "I don't know why. That's really weird. I don't know why at all..." Like a restless horse she shook her head, trying to knock some sense into it, "but anyway," she continued, "come in. Would you like some coffee?"

"That's very kind of you, but we've already had two cups this morning," Kurt answered politely for both of them. He scanned the apartment, and had to admit that he was impressed. Sabina had obviously made an effort to create an area that was cosy and personal, but at the same time projected clearly her skill in interior design.

The walls were painted a lovely shade of cream, and retro leather armchairs were placed around the living room. A variety of interesting artworks lined the walls - each one completely different, but still managing to complement the others perfectly. Finally, right at the far end of the living room, tucked into a convenient corner stood a simple wooden bookcase, crammed full of an eclectic selection of books. There were non-fiction books mixed in with classics, interspersed with the occasional science fiction novel. A guitar leaning casually against the bookcase completed the picture.

Blaine spoke, distracting Kurt from his appreciation of the room,

"Yes. Kurt was kind enough to make me some, and then we went out for breakfast." he bestowed a winning smile upon the afore-mentioned person, which Sabina evidently took to be a loving one,

"I wish MY boyfriend would make me coffee in the morning! Lucky ducks," she sighed, half-jokingly, half-enviously.

"Oh no!" Kurt exclaimed. Blaine expanded on this frantically, glancing at Kurt exceedingly self-consciously,

"We're not dating!" both men were bright red, their eyes wide, subconsciously drawing away from each other slightly.

"We only met last night," Kurt explained, "and I spent the night in Blaine's room because mine was uninhabitable." Blaine wasted no time in clarifying further,

"He didn't know about the room key and the power."

"Ah, yes! I understand. That happened to us on our first night here too," Sabina sympathised. However, she couldn't resist adding cheekily, "did you share a bed?"

"No," Kurt said very primly, his features set in a remarkably well-controlled pokerface, "Blaine has two single beds."

"Damn."

"Shame," A tanned, curly-haired man added laughingly as he entered the room, "I thought I heard voices, so I came to investigate. Hello." Although he bore a slight resemblance to Blaine, the stranger's hair and eyes were browner.

"Oh, this is Oliver, my boyfriend. He's a musician. Started off busking with a friend, writing their own songs, then got signed." Sabina explained, gesturing towards the man affectionately, who was nodding and grinning bashfully. It was obvious from the way they looked at each other how much they cared for one another. This time it was Blaine who stepped forward and offered his hand first,

"I'm Blaine and this is Kurt. It's nice to meet you," he said to Oliver politely. Oliver met his eyes with a frank, friendly smile, shook his hand firmly then reached over to shake Kurt's.

"Hi! So what are you guys doing in New York?" he inquired, genuinely interested. Kurt raised an eyebrow curiously,

"Is it that obvious that we're not from here?" Actually, when he thought about it, the two of them probably did stand out like one pink hydrangea flower in a bush of blue.

"'fraid so. You look a bit more native, Blaine, but Kurt still seems a bit lost," Sabina said directly, but then added, "We're not from here either. We've been living here for the past few months, but we come from Washington."

"I take it you met there, then?" Blaine supposed.

"Yes. We've been best friends since we were three. We used to live next door to each other," she laughed, reliving a funny memory, "the first time I met Oliver, he dacked himself in front of me!"

"Seriously?" Blaine queried disbelievingly. He chuckled, "well, you must have made a good impression." The other three joined in. After a few seconds, Sabina resumed the conversation,

"We'd liked each other for ages before we started going out. That was when we were fifteen," she explained.

"Wow. That's pretty impressive," Kurt's eyebrows shot right up, "you seem like the perfect couple; best friends for years before you started dating, then staying together all this time." Sabina simply smiled,

"Yes, we are lucky. Knowing each other so well before we started going out was really good. I don't think I could just fall into a relationship with a random I met on the street - no offence, that's just me," she added hastily. Kurt and Blaine glanced at each other amusedly, before realising that they weren't actually in a relationship. They turned their heads away speedily, both of their faces blooming slightly pink.

"So, back to my question," Oliver cut in, sensing the tension, "what are you guys doing in New York?" The two men hesitated for a moment, each waiting for the other to reply. Blaine took it upon himself to fulfill that duty,

"We're both studying at NYADA," he answered, with just a tiny tinge of pride.

Sabina and Oliver's eyes stretched comically wide, "I am too!" Sabina exclaimed delightedly, "that's so good!"

"Fantastic! Another person we'll know! See Blaine, I knew it was a good idea to come and talk to them." Could life in New York get any better?

_'First I met Blaine, who just MIGHT become my boyfriend (possibly. Maybe. I hope.), and now we've already made friends with a girl who's going to be studying with us! I officially love it here.'_

"It could have been just a wee bit awkward if we'd discovered that we lived in the same apartment block on the first day there..." Sabina pointed out, "you should probably also go and talk to Hildie! She's also starting at NYADA tomorrow."

"Is she in this apartment building?"

"Yes! Hildie and Skye live opposite us."

"And who might Skye be?" Blaine wondered.

"You'll like her," Sabina smiled fondly. Skye was evidently quite a close friend of hers, "Hildie and her live together to save on rent, but Skye is studying pre-med."

"They're not..."

"No. They're not dating," Sabina laughed and shook her head, "but you never know!" she chuckled, "I'm still holding out hope!" She suddenly glanced down at her watch, a rather pretty glass and forget-me-not blue leather specimen inlaid with coloured flowers, "whoopsy daisies! If you want to catch Hildie and Skye, you better leave now. They leave to play tennis in an hour. It's kind of their Sunday routine."

"Thank you so much," Blaine said gratefully, "for everything." By 'everything' he mostly meant 'showing me that conversations don't have to consist mostly it awkward silences, and that meeting new people is a good idea', of course.

"Well, I hope we've managed to convince you that socialising isn't utterly terrifying!" Sabina replied kindly. She was pleased that they'd finally been able to talk to Blaine properly, as well as meet Kurt. And finding out that they were also both attending NYADA had, in her opinion, made the morning even more of a success, "see you tomorrow, I guess. I can't wait!"

"I assure you, we can't either," Kurt agreed wholeheartedly. NYADA... Attending that academy had been his dream for years. And now it was finally happening, "goodbye, then."

As soon as they had left the apartment and the door had been closed behind them, Kurt leaned back against the rather unattractive, lime-green painted wall of the corridor and folded his arms with a smirk,

"See? That wasn't too bad, was it? Almost fun, perhaps?" To say that Kurt enjoyed being right was an understatement. Blaine shook his head with a rueful smile,

"Thank you, Kurt. For being there with me and for convincing me to go in the first place. You were right." Surprisingly, it hurt Blaine's pride slightly less when he was proved wrong by Kurt than if it had been someone else.

"Yes, well, I get told that a lot," Kurt grinned smugly, an expression which soon turned rather mischievous, "across the corridor, then?" Blaine sighed and nodded bravely,

"Across the corridor." But this time a faint wash of excitement coloured the canvas of his face, something he couldn't erase, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.


	8. Crushes

As Kurt and Blaine sidled quietly up to the door, they could hear voices on the other side. They hesitated, listening.

"So, show me the hand-graph between Phoenix and Jaguar." A voice giggled.

"Ummm... Phoenix's still winning the race." the second girl said, half self-consciously, half laughing.

"Flying ahead?" the first one teased.

"Yep."

Kurt and Blaine glanced at one another,

"I'm confused..." Blaine said hopelessly, looking completely lost.

"Same..."

"Maybe if we knock we'll discover what they're on about?" Blaine suggested.

"Oh, yes. Just say, 'we couldn't help overhearing your private conversation as we were eavesdropping outside your door...' I wonder what they'd think of us then?" Kurt asked this sarcastically, but a teasing smile acted like a shield, deflecting the sword stab. Blaine grinned disarmingly,

"Well, one way to find out!" he decided to ignore the sassy jibe and instead knocked lightly on the door and listened whilst the sound of friendly laughter walked closer and closer. Then the laughter stopped and the door swung open, revealing two tall, brown-haired girls.

Although this description painted them as looking quite similar to each other, this was not the case. The girl with the shorter, darker, straight hair had hazel eyes that contained slightly more emerald chips than Blaine's. The second girl, on the other hand, possessed blue-grey eyes feathered with dark lashes, as well as long, wavy, lighter brown hair with natural blond highlights at the sides.

Both girls were dressed in singlet tops, sports shorts and shoes, and had their hair tied back in pony-tails.

They each looked faintly surprised to see the two men standing right outside, but seemed eager enough to meet them, opening the door to admit the strangers entry.

The girls' apartment was very different to Sabina and Oliver's. One of the living room's walls was covered in cobalt blue, old-fashioned wallpaper, and had two tennis racquets and a tennis ball leaning against it. The apartment's furnishings were also an interesting mix of old and new; a large, antique-looking mirror, for example, resided above a shelf upon which was placed a softly-curving vase, fresh flowers spilling out from its gaping mouth. Kurt was no less impressed, however, with this decor than he had been with Sabina and Oliver's.

It was upon a embroidered, slightly squashy sofa that Kurt and Blaine finally perched, rather uncomfortably, resembling chilled birds hovering on the edges of a frozen-over bird bath, reluctant to allow their tail feathers to become too cold.

The two girls also sat down in a bowl-shaped chair each, facing the chaise, seemingly cocooned securely in safety of the furniture's depths. Their crossed legs and fidgeting hands, however, belied their slight nervousness.

Blaine decided that someone ought to speak soon, and that it may as well be him,

"Hi, we just came to say hello," he explained, slightly awkwardly, but still with enthusiasm, "I'm Blaine and this is Kurt. We're both starting at NYADA tomorrow."

"I'm going there too!" exclaimed the hazel-eyed girl whom they now took to be Hildie, subconsciously leaning eagerly forward and uncrossing her legs.

"Yes, we just visited Sabina and Oliver. They told us that you were also studying there, so we decided to come and meet you," clarified Kurt with a wide smile.

"I'm Skye and this is Hildie," the blue-eyed speaker stood up and walked over to shake Kurt and Blaine's hands, confirming their suspicions as to her identity. "You're doing pre-med, right?" Blaine asked. "Sabina mentioned." 

"That's right!" Skye smiled, "I want to be a doctor, mainly so that I can help people. If I'm capable of it, then it seems a crime not to." She'd obviously thought about this a great deal, and seemed extremely determined.

"That's true," Blaine agreed consideringly, " but what sort of doctor?" Skye replied to this with a hint of shyness, although she was under the impression that her answer might appear silly. Dust specks of pride, however, glinted in the stream of sunshine that was her shyness,

"Well, I'd probably specialise in something or train to be a surgeon, but I'd REALLY like to work for an organisation like Médecins Sans Frontières ."

"I've pointed out to her that she wouldn't really get paid..." Hildie cut in.

" ...but I don't care! I'd rather help people than have money. And it won't be forever. When I move back I can get a PAYING job." Skye smiled at her friend, offering a metaphorical olive branch.

"That's very admirable," Kurt said, looking impressed. This expression wasn't usual for him, but he found Skye's determination and selflessness inspiring.

"Yeah, well..." the girl in question shrugged awkwardly, "...but you really want to hear about Hildie. She's the one you're going to be in a class with," Skye desperately deflected the topic of the conversation away from herself, like a duelist parrying the unexpected stab of a deadly, glittering rapier, "she's AMAZING at piano, and at tennis." as Hildie shook her head emphatically, Skye expanded, adding an undeniable truth,

"She was in our state tennis team."

"That's really good!" Blaine exclaimed. His estimation of the two girls was increasing with every snippet of information that he found out about them.

"WAS." Hildie pointed out meaningfully.

"So? That's still pretty incredible!" Skye carried on determinedly.

"Oh, dear. All we're doing is complimenting each other, then arguing about those compliments," a flickering candle was held aloft by Hildie to illuminate the truth of the matter. Skye winced and turned to Blaine and Kurt,

"Sorry about that. We always do it," she admitted.

"No, don't worry," Kurt smiled understandingly, "it just shows how much you care about each other." Skye looked dubious,

"I guess so..."

"So where are you two from, then?" Hildie enquired after a slight pause.

"We're both from Ohio," Blaine grinned, "Kurt's from Lima and I'm from Westerville."

"Never heard of them," Hildie commented frankly, "is that where you met, though? Ohio?" Kurt laughed,

"No, we actually only met yesterday!" That did seem extremely strange when he thought about it. He and Blaine got on so well that it was sometimes hard to remember that they hadn't been friends for years. To strangers, in fact, that must be the obvious assumption to make.

"Really?" Hildie asked incredulously, "I thought you two were going out." Blaine glanced cautiously at Kurt,

"Erm, no, we're not..."

"Shame," Skye smirked teasingly, "you two would be cute together." Both men flushed red and squirmed awkwardly, each avoiding looking in the other's eyes. A ripple of concern disturbed the smooth waters of Hildie's usually-placid face,

"Neither of you have a boyfriend already, do you?" she asked, worried that they might have said completely the wrong thing.

"Oh, no," Kurt shook his head anxiously with an awkward, self-conscious smile, "no, we're both single."

"So are we." Skye sighed tragically.

"We've made a vow that we're going to have boyfriends by the end of this year." Hildie supplied. Blaine tried not to look surprised. He could have sworn there was some serious chemistry going on between the two girls! Sabina was going to be disappointed.

"Although the chances of it happening are rather slim." Skye said, looking glum.

"Hey," admonished Hildie, "what about Leprechaun?"

"Yeah... I don't think he really likes me."

"How come?"

"I don't know. He just gives the impression that he doesn't," Skye shrugged, "like, he never starts talking to me. I'm always the one who begins the conversation. And he doesn't ever seem keen to prolong it, either."

"Hmmm... He might just be a bit shy?" Hildie suggested.

"Perhaps," Skye sounded unconvinced, "but I still don't reckon he likes me. I think next time I won't really talk to him, just wait for him to say something. If he does, then I might think he's interested in me. 'Cause I just can't keep on doing it all the time." Hildie made a small noise of agreement,

"That sounds like quite a good idea. He might just not want a girlfriend," she pointed out, "didn't you say his mum just died?"

"Yeah, that's true," Skye said looking sad, "I really don't want to push him. God, I don't even know if I really like him! Maybe I'm just so desperate for a boyfriend that I'm tricking myself..." This was a sobering prospect. How much did Skye really care for him?

_'Well, I do LIKE him,'_ she thought, _'Definitely as a person. But is he more of just a friend? Can I do better? Do I want him as a boyfriend, or do I just want the idea of a boyfriend? I don't want to alienate him and lose his friendship. I've got to back off a bit.'_ Skye finally decided.

"Just be patient," Hildie suggested kindly.

"I know. But it's so hard." As Skye and Hildie looked at each other empathetically, Kurt cleared his throat,

"Ah, excuse me, but I'm really quite confused." he winced. Blaine nodded in emphatic agreement.

"Oh, gosh. Sorry!" Skye looked horrified, "we got so distracted that..."

"No, no, it's ok," Blaine reassured her, "although it would enlighten us greatly if you could reveal to us who 'Leprechaun' is." he said, laughing slightly in the last sentence.

"Leprechaun's a guy from home that Skye likes," Hildie explained, "he's doing pre-med with her."

"And his name's Leprechaun?" Kurt asked incredulously. He was all for unusual names, but 'Leprechaun' was just cruel.

_'Maybe this has got something to do with what they were talking about before we came in?'_ he wondered.

"Oh, no," Skye laughed, "that's just his code name. He's actually called Luke." she explained to the slightly bewildered men.

"I do like the idea of code names." Kurt grinned. It certainly kept the whole thing more secret; preserving the anonymity of possible love interests. Something which could be very useful when around overly-enthusiastic, well-meaning friends who might be a bit too eager to have a chat with the crush, casually wondering what he thought of their friend?

"Yeah, we've got them for the guys Hildie likes, too," Skye said teasingly, shooting a glance like an arrow from her eyes at her friend, "Phoenix and Jaguar. And, of course, Griffin and Angel, but they don't really count." Kurt and Blaine shared a look of realisation,

_'Oh, so THAT'S what they were talking about before...'_

The whole conversation made MUCH more sense now. Now that they could understand it, Kurt and Blaine could clearly see the humorous side of the dialogue. Blaine, however, couldn't resist chasing up a small detail,

"Woah," he said, looking amused, "the guys? As in, plural?"

"Yep! Four of them." Skye said delightedly.

"No, that's not quite true," Hildie disagreed, "I only really like Phoenix and Jaguar. Skye just likes to make it sound bad." she said with a playfully mock-serious expression.

"Guilty." the girl in question smiled mischievously, glancing back unabashed, but equally playfully. That was quite a fun pastime of hers', though only ever in a friendly way.

"So how do you know them?" Blaine inquired.

"They play tennis," Hildie replied, then hesitated as a curious thought struck her, "that's kind of weird, isn't it? They all play tennis."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Skye agreed. "I'd never thought of that." Although it did make quite good sense, when she thought about it. Their weekly tennis sessions were really the only time Hildie ever got to meet guys. Skye and Hildie weren't the clubbing types; in fact they hardly ever went out. Which was all fine and dandy up to a point, but it could be rather lonely.

Everyone, Kurt and Blaine included, sat for a while in a silence that was as comfortable as a pair of Ugg boots on a cold Winter's morning.

Kurt's finger absent-mindedly traced small circles on the embroidered material of the couch as he gazed aimlessly off into the distance, and Blaine found his eyes lazily drawn to the movement, idly reflecting on how much he would prefer it if it was his hand under those fingertips instead of a couch. The direction of their guest's gaze was not lost on Skye and Hildie, who viewed it with growing amusement.

Then Skye happened to glance at her watch and let out a small, guinea pig squeak of alarm,

"Oh, gosh, it's been half an hour! I completely forgot about the time!" she exclaimed, aghast, "I'm SO sorry, we really better go. We're never going to be at the tennis club in fifteen minutes." Hildie grimaced,

"Yeah, they're used to us being late, but not this late." She and Skye quickly grabbed the racquets and some balls. The two were not the most punctual of people; Hildie being the worst offender, "It was really great meeting you," she said sincerely, "I'm so glad you're going to NYADA. I can't wait 'til tomorrow." Wide smiles stretched across both Blaine and Kurt's faces. 

"I'm so excited!" Blaine said enthusiastically, "it's great you'll be studying there too."

"Have fun playing tennis!" Kurt added as he stood up and followed Hildie and Skye to the door, Blaine following closely behind. Once they were all through, Skye closed the door and locked it, making sure to keep the plastic tab in its socket. 

Blaine and Kurt smiled gratefully at both her and Hildie as they left, exceedingly glad that they had made the effort to come and visit the girls. They'd had a very entertaining time, but, more importantly, had made some good friends.

_'It's funny how sometimes you just know if you're going to like someone. Even without talking to them, or being with them long, you can just tell, in your heart, that they're going to be important in your life. It was the same with Kurt... Oh, gosh, it was the same with Kurt...'_

Blaine surreptitiously snuck a glance at Kurt, as shifty as a child tip-toeing into the pantry to steal a biscuit. How much exactly did the man mean to him? They'd only known each other for less than a day, but already Blaine couldn't imagine what his life would have been if they hadn't met. Kurt had changed his life in so many ways, and in such a short time. If it wasn't for Kurt, for example, Blaine would be showing up to NYADA not knowing anybody. He would have spent months more by himself, lonely and sunk deeply into a bog of self-pity. The thought was simply to depressing to even dwell on; Blaine didn't know how he would have survived if it had been a reality.

He grimaced as he forcefully shook himself from his thoughts and slowly looked up, seeing Skye and Hildie wave goodbye as they speed-walked down the corridor, Skye calling out, "Good luck!" over her shoulder to the two men who were still standing outside of the girls' apartment. The men in question both waved in return.


	9. A Loaded Suggestion

Just as the girls disappeared around the corner, a grumbling gurgle emitted from Blaine's stomach. Blaine glanced down at the offending organ, mortified, as though he could hardly believe what he, and evidently Kurt, had both heard; it was hardly good behaviour on his stomach's part to butt in in such a vulgar manner.

Blaine sheepishly looked up at Kurt, who was standing with his hand clapped over his mouth, his shoulders quivering and his cheeks turning pink with the effort of keeping his giggles suppressed. When Kurt noticed Blaine watching him incredulously, however, his dam walls crumbled and the laughter burst out of him. Struggling to keep his giggles under control and his face straight, Kurt asked,

"Are you... hungry... by any chance, Blaine?" the sentence punctuated with random giggles escaping from his lips. Blaine gave Kurt a fake bitch glare,

"Breakfast was **ages** ago," he said, miffed. Kurt raised an eyebrow, so Blaine hastily changed tack and pulled out the puppy dog eyes instead,

"Can we **please** have lunch?" he whined. Kurt'a face softened as he gazed at the other man.

"Lunch sounds good to me," he agreed, "I'm hungry too."

Blaine said,

"I would suggest that we go out for lunch, but since we did that for both breakfast and dinner, I don't think that that would be such a good idea."

Kurt shook his head,

"No, I'm not quite sure that my finances could take the strain. And there is no way I'm going to dip into my clothes budget to pay for food!"

"Somehow I can't ever imagine that happening," Blaine laughed.

"Seriously. I'd rather exist on a diet of baked beans and stale bread than compromise my wardrobe," Kurt deadpanned.

"Why am I not surprised?" teased Blaine, grinning at the other man. Their eyes met and locked together with a stomach-bouncing jolt. All of Blaine's thoughts seemed to evaporate like mist off a calm lake. He swallowed, his mind suddenly completely at loss as to what to do and how to behave. It had most definitely forgotten how to look away from a particular point; namely, Kurt's breathtaking eyes. But Blaine didn't want to weird-out Kurt, and he was sure that his staring must be doing exactly that. The seconds seemed to stretch like chewing gum, equally as sticky. Blaine could feel them passing by and desperately wondered,

_'How long can someone stare at someone else without it becoming very odd?'_

He had a rather panicked feeling that it was a much shorter length of time than he had been gazing into Kurt's eyes for. Thankfully for Blaine, it was Kurt who first cleared his throat awkwardly and unlocked the mental and emotional door keeping both the men captive.

"So... uh, what about sandwiches?" he suggested, licking his lips nervously.

"Sandwiches?" asked Blaine, distracted by the sight of Kurt's strawberry tongue. Blaine's brain appeared to be enacting some cruel revenge on him for any past wrongdoings that Blaine had committed. Deserting him in his hour of need, it almost seemed to blow an insolent raspberry over its shoulder as it ran far, far away.

"Yes," Kurt asserted, amused at Blaine's confusion, even though he did not suspect the cause, "sandwiches. For lunch. You were hungry," Kurt couldn't resist adding. Blaine flushed red, growing more and more embarrassed. Life just wasn't being kind to him at this moment.

"Lunch!" Blaine nodded, "Yes, that. Lunch. Yum. Sandwiches. I'm hungry." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Come on," he said, taking Blaine's arm, "let's go and make some sandwiches. We're going to have to raid your pantry, I'm afraid."

Blaine allowed himself to be lead to the door of his own apartment, quietly reveling in the fact that Kurt was still holding on to his arm and the feeling of Kurt's soft skin against his own. When they reached it Kurt stopped and glanced at Blaine expectantly. After a brief, confused pause Blaine realised what Kurt was waiting for.

"Oh," he said stupidly, "the key."

"That always helps," Kurt acknowledged with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up," Blaine said, forcefully regaining control of his thoughts and taking the heartrate-increasing risk of whacking Kurt lightly on the shoulder, "I've got the food, remember."

Kurt nodded seriously,

"Ok, you do. I apologise profusely for my unacceptable insolence."

Blaine smiled patronizingly at Kurt,

"Good boy," he said.

"Oh, and Blaine?"

"Yes?"

"You're trying to put the key in upside down."

* * *

"Have you got any plans for this afternoon?" Kurt asked Blaine once they had finished eating their salad sandwiches.

"Well," Blaine began shyly, "there's a movie on at the moment called 'The Watch', which sounds quite cool. It's about these guys who start a neighbourhood watch group to solve a murder and end up defending the earth against aliens."

"Classic," laughed Kurt, "you're really showing your true nerdy side, Blaine."

"Busted," Blaine admitted, "but guess what? The movie's set in Ohio!"

"I suppose we HAVE to see it then," Kurt conceded teasingly.

"Exactly."

Kurt smiled fondly at Blaine, taking in the puppyish enthusiasm that seemed to light up his whole face. It was as though a heavy velvet curtain had been drawn back from the window of a dark, dusty room, allowing sunshine excitement to pour over Blaine's features.

That was one of the things Kurt loved so much about Blaine; he lived life so completely, and seem to invest his whole soul into his ideas and passions. Kurt had never met anyone like him.

A shimmering bubble of emotion seemed to float up from Kurt's stomach to rest gently just behind his tongue. He wanted to tell Blaine how unique he was, how beautiful, both inside and out and how glad Kurt was that they had met. But the bubble blocked his words, and Kurt could not make a sound. He just gazed into Blaine's gorgeous, golden, long-lashed eyes with his lips slightly parted until the other man's Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped and looked away from where his gaze had flickered down to Kurt's lips.

It occurred to Kurt that he had effectively just been asked out on a date. To a movie. With a hot guy, who was also his good friend.

_'Exactly,'_ Kurt chastised himself, _'his FRIEND. Nothing more. This is just two friends going to the cinema to watch a film. Who both happen to be gay. And who both seem prone to creating some rather awkward moments between them, which they then try their upmost to completely ignore. Oh, stop it, Hummel. This is getting you nowhere. He doesn't seem interested in you like that, so stop stewing. Just go with the flow, and see how this *date* turns out. Even though it's not, in actual fact, a date.'_

"So," Kurt asked out loud, "what time is this movie, then?"

"If we start walking now, we'll be right on time," Blaine replied after checking his watch, managing to conceal the vast majority of a wide grin of pure elation. He was going to the movies with (in Blaine's opinion) the most beautiful man in the world.

Strictly as friends, of course.


	10. The Date

The two men reached the cinema with only a few minutes to spare. Both were breathing slightly heavily, partly from just having speed-walked five blocks to get to the theatre, and partly because they were anxious not to miss the film.

The cinema was relatively quiet for once, which made for a nice change. Usually the poor staff were frantically busy and stressed, and only a had time for a quick, curt,

"Hi... Would you like any refreshments today?... Ticket, please... That's the third entrance on the left."

Today, however, the cinema was relatively deserted and the staff were far more relaxed. They actually smiled at Kurt and Blaine, and said that they hoped the two enjoyed the film. In the case of the ticket-checker, this wish was accompanied by a teasing wink, the addition of which caused both men to blush profusely.

Kurt actually opened his mouth slightly as if to say something, but closed it quickly with an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Blaine, who was by this stage a rather fetching shade of rose, stared fixedly at a solitary speck of popcorn on the carpet between his feet and started to sidle away, followed haltingly by Kurt.

An unspoken agreement seemed to have been hastily signed by both parties, stipulating that the embarrassing occurrence not be mentioned, to ensure the continued comfort of all involved.

As a result, the short walk to the cinema was saturated with self-conscious silence. It was broken only when Blaine, ever the gentleman, asked Kurt where he would like to sit. There were only three other people in the theatre, which gave Kurt rather a choice.

"What about here?" he suggested rhetorically, hesitantly leading the way to two seats right in the middle of the theatre.

"We'll get a good view from here," Blaine observed keenly. Kurt nodded thoughtfully in response. The silence descended once more, like angels from Heaven. Although, in both Kurt and Blaine's opinion, it was not remotely blessed.

Blaine cleared his throat and shuffled awkwardly in his seat. _Was this actually a date? How was he supposed to behave?_ The movie hadn't even started yet, and already Blaine had no idea how he was going to survive until the end of thought of sitting ramrod-straight throughout the duration of the film was not appealing in the slightest, but Blaine was at a loss as to what other options he had.

He couldn't imagine slumping in his seat; that just wasn't him. And it wouldn't present a very attractive picture to Kurt, either. Presenting an attractive picture to Kurt was, after all, what Blaine desperately wanted to do.

He knew what he _should_ do; what they did in all the movies; just casually slip his arm around Kurt's shoulders. But the film hadn't even started yet, and the ads playing weren't exactly _romantic._ It would just be awkward and weird if Blaine did that. Especially as the two of them were just meant to be friends. _Friends._ Nothing more, no matter how much Blaine may have wished it to be to the contrary.

No, that particular scenario was most definitely out.

So Blaine simply folded his hands in his lap and stared attentively at the screen. He appeared, to the casual observer, to be finding the ad currently playing immensely enthralling.

Although this casual observer would presumably find Blaine's behaviour rather odd, as the ad running at the time was enthusiastically listing the merits of an apparently superior model of roller door.

Kurt was no casual observer, however, and immediately discerned that Blaine was quite possibly rather nervous. And he very much hoped his idea of why this was so was correct.

Gathering his courage to him like a Disney princess would her many petticoats, Kurt tried to subtly shift a bit closer to Blaine, wincing at the disproportionate noise the tiny movement seemed to produce. Regardless, after a short, breathless pause (from both men), he slowly angled himself more towards his companion and wriggled over a few centimetres more.

Blaine's Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped, and his hands tightened and twisted slightly in his lap. An almost imperceptible movement that was nevertheless spotted, and duly noted, by the man sitting next to him.

Kurt inwardly cursed the arm of the seat, which, although thoughtfully equipped with a convenient drink holder, was irritatingly located between Blaine and himself. It was the most awkward position to place a seat arm, he reflected, not that there was really anywhere else that it could be instead. It was a seat _arm_ , after all.

Surely countless would-be lovers must have found the thing a hindrance, however. It definitely made any close physical intimacy uncomfortable, if not nigh-on impossible.

_'Close physical intimacy?'_ Kurt grimaced inside the privacy of his own head, _'you're getting a bit ahead of yourself here! The closest 'physical intimacy' you've had with Blaine has been a small spate of purely platonic arm-holding. Not exactly something that would be overly affected by an inconveniently-placed seat arm in a cinema,'_ he thought wryly.

At that moment, Blaine made up his mind. Kurt had moved close to him, hadn't he? That sort of hint was kind of hard to misread. Kurt obviously expected Blaine to make a move. Did that mean, then, that Kurt liked him? As in, actually _liked_ him? Blaine fervently hoped so, _desperately_ hoped so. Because Blaine was most definitely falling for Kurt. Fast.

He gulped, blinked once, then blinked again. Praying to a god that he didn't believe in, Blaine raised his arm and gently looped it around Kurt's tense shoulders. Almost immediately, Kurt relaxed, sighing subconsciously into the touch. Blaine also relaxed, a great gust of relief blowing over him.

He was practically cuddling with another man, watching a movie. A guy he really liked, even though they had only met the day before. And Kurt didn't seem to mind. In the slightest. Hell, he even seemed to be _enjoying_ it. It was like a fairytale come to life.

Blaine was suddenly overcome with a great feeling of elation. What did he do to get this lucky? It felt like all his dreams were coming true at once.

The happiness filled Blaine up inside, like hot chocolate in his stomach after a day spent freezing in the cold. Frothy bubbles of champagne joy seemed to gather in his head and attempt to overflow through any available orifice there. Blaine felt like jumping to his feet, maybe bouncing a few times on the cinema seats for good measure, before completing a victory lap of the theatre, whooping in delight.

Except, of course, doing so would mean removing himself from Kurt. And that occurrence was certainly not something that Blaine planned on allowing to happen in the near future.

When Kurt leaned further into him, Blaine realised with a start that the movie was just about to begin. He squeezed Kurt closer and smiled in contentment. The actual film itself no longer seemed very important; instead, the experience that it had led to took priority.

* * *

Kurt allowed himself to chuckle quietly as the opening scene of the movie played, narrated by the main character, a middle-aged, average guy who thought himself and his neighbourhood cultured and accepting due to the fact that one of his neighbours was Asian. The jokes themselves were not very funny, being mildly offensive (although mostly towards the main character, thankfully). No, it was more the depiction of Kurt's home state that had him cracking an wry smile. There was also the fact that Blaine appeared to be finding the film amusing, so Kurt felt morally obligated to put in a little more effort.

When it came to the part where a night watchman at a local store was apparently blown to pieces by an 'unknown' threat, Kurt buried his face in Blaine's shoulder. He had never been one for horror movies. Or gore, for that matter. He found it difficult to comprehend why anyone would _enjoy_ torturing themselves by watching something that was bound to disgust them.

Horror movies felt, to Kurt, rather like roller coasters. Once you strapped yourself into watching them, there was not really any way to stop the ride. You just had to try and endure everything as it came. Of course, you _could_ simply turn off the TV or leave the cinema, but... that just wasn't really the same. It was like working yourself up and becoming extremely nervous whilst waiting in a slow-moving line for a roller coaster for 45 minutes, before ducking hastily out of the queue right when you were about to reach the front.

You had already taken most of the risk by joining the line for the roller coaster in the first place. In the case of the horror movie, the gigantic leap was made by buying the tickets and sitting down in the cinema, or, alternatively, putting the disk in the DVD player and pressing 'play'.

Thankfully, Blaine seemed to notice Kurt's squeamishness straight away and immediately tightened his arm around the latter's shoulders to reassure him. Although Blaine was almost entirely absorbed with thinking about the fact that Kurt had his head tucked into his shoulder, he still managed to inwardly rejoice that he could be the one to provide Kurt such comfort. Never would Blaine ever have expected that this could happen.

He cheered inside once more when Kurt's head remained on his shoulder after the 'horror' scene had finished, albeit resting sideways rather than face-down. But Kurt seemed comfortable, and Blaine most definitely was. He felt as though he could stay like this forever; with Kurt's warm body held close and his soft cheek resting contentedly on Blaine's shoulder. _Did this count as a proper date, now?_ It certainly seemed like it. Blaine hoped with all his heart that this was so.

At that moment, Kurt lifted his head from Blaine's shoulder to whisper quietly in his ear. Blaine shuddered slightly; part nerves, part pleasure, both at the light zephyr passing over his skin, and at the closeness of Kurt to himself.

"Do you think he's gay?" Kurt asked.

"Wha... sorry?" Blaine hastily snapped his attention back to the movie, like a student would quickly minimise an open browser window not remotely related to the topic being studied when a teacher came near.

The character currently being introduced sported a cardigan, a bowtie and a posh British accent, and went by the name of Jeremiah.

"Ah, yeah," Blaine said, "he looks pretty gay to me."

He felt Kurt nod, his silky hair tickling Blaine's neck. Blaine usually hated being tickled, as he was very ticklish. This was a weakness that his older brother Cooper used to frequently exploit when they were both younger and both still lived at home. Actually, Cooper did still try and tickle Blaine when he got the chance. It didn't help that Cooper seemed to have inherited most of the available height in the family, leaving precious little for his younger brother. Or that Cooper was not ticklish in the slightest.

Somehow, however, Blaine didn't mind being tickled nearly as much when he was tickled by Kurt's hair. He quite enjoyed it, in actual fact. Blaine wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through those soft, chestnut locks, and was just about to try it out when he realised that that might not be the best idea. If he messed up Kurt's hair, Blaine might never leave the cinema alive!

"Damn," Kurt muttered, "he's straight. Oh well, I guess my gaydar hasn't exactly had a stellar record for being accurate. That thing with Sam was just embarrassing..."

Apparently Jeremiah had just made a remark about his fetish for Asian girls. Strange. Blaine hadn't simply been agreeing with Kurt for the sake of agreeing with Kurt when he said that the character had appeared rather gay. For a movie as full of stereotypes as the one they were currently watching, this seemed rather an unusual twist.

But something in Kurt's last sentence had caught Blaine's attention like a fishing line caught on a snag.

"Sam?" he turned his head slightly to look down upon the top of Kurt's. Kurt met Blaine's eyes and winced self-consciously.

"Sam was a guy in my glee club. I had a crush on him for a little time when I was convinced he was gay. I was even going to sing a duet with him. It took both Finn and my dad to talk me out of that idea..."

"What um... made you think he was gay?" Blaine asked curiously. Kurt sighed.

"Just a tiny thing, really. He'd dyed his hair. I knew that he had, even though he swore point blank that he hadn't. That denial, to my 16 year old brain, was proof that he was cowering in the closet." Kurt shook his head sadly, "I think I was just so lonely that I desperately threw myself on anyone I thought might be like me; anyone I thought I might have a chance with."

Blaine nodded,

"I know that feeling. Well, sort of. Dalton didn't exactly have a shortage of gay guys; more a shortage of gay guys who were nice, available and genuinely interested in me."

Kurt made a face,

"Did you go out with a whole lot of douchebags, then?" He felt just slightly jealous, and hoped selfishly that none of these past boyfriends had been very serious. A moment later, however, Kurt experienced a rush of guilt. So what if Blaine had had boyfriends before? Before was history. And if one had, at some point, made Blaine happy, then Kurt could really do nothing but be grateful to him. As it turned out, Kurt had nothing to worry about.

"You could say that, yes," Blaine replied, "I'd fall completely for a guy as soon as he showed any interest in me, then realise that he was using me after just a few days. Usually, I'd find out he'd been cheating on me. Not that it really mattered. Our relationships never progressed very far. The only outcome was a rather depressed Blaine for a short while afterwards, rescued patiently every time by Wes, David or sometimes both."

"Rescued?" Kurt inquired.

"That mostly involved icecream. Lots of icecream. And endless marathons of various romcoms." Blaine grinned sheepishly, "Poor Wes and David. I don't know how they survived. Watching 'The Lucky One' in bed whilst clutching a carton of cookies and cream and a spoon, occasionally attempting to pacify a bawling friend, is not exactly two straight guys' idea of a fun night in."

Kurt laughed.

"They sound like pretty amazing friends," he observed.

"They are," Blaine agreed, "very good friends. They've stuck by me no matter what. I just wish I could see them more. They're both still back in Ohio, unfortunately. Wes is studying to be a lawyer, and David's doing pre-med."

"That's pretty impressive," Kurt said. "Well, if I'm ever back in Ohio in about ten years and need a doctor or a lawyer, I'll know who to go to!"

"Definitely," Blaine smiled. He then happened to take note of what was happening on screen and winced, "Oh, that's disgusting."

Kurt followed Blaine's gaze to the screen where one of the characters was peeing in a beer can and moaning in pleasure. Kurt grimaced, glancing at Blaine.

"Agreed."

From then on, the movie only got worse. It was just insulting, for example, when one of the main character's neighbours was automatically assumed to be gay simply because he was acting rather creepily. When this happened, both Kurt and Blaine simultaneously turned to frown in annoyance, tinged with a slight bit of hurt, at one another, each appearing to read the other's mind. Blaine, for his part, tightened his arm protectively around Kurt's shoulders. This was New York; he'd have thought that here, at least, they would be safe from the hate that festered like an infected sore in other parts of the country - including in bits of their home state. But apparently not.

Then again, Blaine reflected, he really shouldn't be that surprised. It was a demonstration of that very same hate, after all, that had led him to first meet Kurt. Well, they probably would have met at NYADA anyway, but it was still an irrefutable fact that Blaine would not be here at this moment, sitting in this theatre, watching this movie (rather grudgingly now, it had to be admitted) with his arm around Kurt's shoulders, if those two thugs had not been so utterly homophobic

Still, Blaine thought it rather sickening that such an offensive movie as the one they were currently watching was ever even created. A huge amount of effort and even money was being spent all around the world to try and combat homophobia, yet movies such as this one perpetuated it. And it wasn't just homophobia being portrayed in an acceptable light in the film; racism and sexism were also prevalent. What sort of people must the writers and producers of this movie be? It was infuriating, yet it was also sad.

Kurt, meanwhile, was gazing around the cinema, wondering how the other viewers, few as they were, were reacting to what they had just seen. One was sitting behind of Blaine and himself, so it was not possible for Kurt to see their face without making himself very conspicuous indeed. There was, however, a young, teenage couple sitting on the other side of the aisle. They were obviously on a date together. Probably a first date, Kurt guessed, judging by their evident awkwardness. Mind you, this movie did not seem to Kurt to be much like ideal first-date viewing material. Though who was he to judge? He had certainly not known what the film was going to be like until he had started watching it. Not that Kurt had originally expected this to be a date. More like hoped...

The couple had not yet appeared to have reached the 'arm around shoulders' stage. Not like him and Blaine, Kurt thought with a small flicker of selfish satisfaction, before extinguishing it immediately in horror at himself, and hurriedly continuing along his questing path of thought.

The girl look disturbed and disgusted, with a faint hint of anger sparking in her eyes. As Kurt watched, this intensified, until she was glaring at the screen. Kurt felt slightly relieved as he observed this, realizing that him and Blaine were not alone in beginning to despise this movie. The boy, on the other hand, was biting his lip, although whether this was from irritation or from first-date nerves, Kurt was not quite sure. Either way, it was reassuring to know that at least one other person in the sparsely populated cinema seemed to care about the issues with the film.

* * *

Needless to say, neither Blaine nor Kurt found it particularly amusing to watch the men onscreen photograph themselves with an alien that they believed to be dead in an array of both lewd and frankly ridiculous positions. They simply thought it rather immature and not the slightest bit funny.

"I swear they're targeting this movie towards people with the intellectual and emotional maturity of eight year old boys," Kurt complained to Blaine, "it would serve those guys right if that alien just woke up and killed them all."

"I reckon that's exactly what's going to happen," Blaine agreed, "although the characters will probably all get away. Unfortunately." He sighed, "This film is ridiculously predictable."

Sure enough, about a minute later, the alien woke up and the characters were extraordinarily lucky to escape with their lives. Somehow, despite the whole room that they were in having been utterly trashed, not one of the men had been injured in the slightest. Kurt noticed this,

"Ah, the magic of movies," he said sarcastically, "there should have been at least one fatality from all that. Actually, the alien should have killed the whole lot of them. It certainly should have been angry enough to. I wish that it had, in actual fact."

"Same," Blaine nodded, "they're not exactly likable characters. I almost sympathise more with the alien at this point. If it wasn't for the fact that those idiots are trying to stop innocent people from being killed by that alien, I would almost wish that they'd all died."

"You have a point," Kurt conceded, "they are, however unlikely it may seem, the only people who can save the world at this point. Which is, I suppose, the whole idea behind this movie."

"It's actually not such a bad idea," acknowledged Blaine, "to have a group of misfits the only people who can rescue the earth from certain doom. Kind of like Torchwood, in a way. Except Torchwood is far preferable to this."

Kurt nodded.

"I've never seen Torchwood, but I know what you mean. This film could have been really quite good. Excellent, in fact. It's a pretty great idea, after all. But instead they decided to go this route..."

Blaine shook his head.

"That's just sad. So much potential, but instead they made it into a cheap, dirty, manchild's movie." He laughed suddenly, unexpectedly, the vibrations shaking through Kurt's body like a gentle earthquake, surprising him slightly. "Maybe we'll watch a film sometime in the future with the same basic idea, but a completely different realisation of it."

"And be haunted by a strange sense of deja vous that we just can't get rid of until we remember where we saw it before?" Kurt grinned, "I can imagine that."

"We'll just have to hope that the second version fulfills our expectations," stated Blaine, "that is - that it's actually bearable to watch!"

"They can't possibly make another movie just like this one," Kurt shuddered, "ugh, that would be a nightmare."

"Agreed."

* * *

The main characters had grudgingly accepted an invitation from the 'creepy man'. Although extremely dubious about venturing into his house, they thought that he might be helping the alien in some way. This meant that they were forced to investigate.

Entering the neighbour's home, the men discovered he'd been acting furtively for a completely different reason. And that he was, in fact, almost certainly straight.

The front door led straight into a dim, red-lit room filled with gyrating girls; most half-naked, but some totally starkers.

"Uh... I'm not just trying to uphold the stereotype here," said Blaine, "but I think this is a bit too much."

Kurt winced, "I agree. I didn't think this movie could get any more disgusting, but I was obviously wrong." Out of the corner of his eye Kurt saw the teenage couple whisper hurriedly to each other, then awkwardly get up and sneak out, glancing around the cinema self-consciously as they did so. It was the same surreptitious look that a member of the audience in a high school assembly might take before deciding to clap sympathetically for an underwhelming speaker.

Blaine followed his gaze.

"Do you think they've got the right idea?" he suggested.

Kurt sighed and reluctantly untangled himself from Blaine.

"I don't think I can bear to watch any more of this movie," he said. "At the moment, I honestly don't have any interest at all in how it ends. The whole world can perish, for all I care."

"Would you like to get coffee somewhere else instead, then?" Blaine asked. "I'll even buy it for you. If..." he hesitated and gathered together the scraps of his courage, "if you think this counts as a date, now?"

"I hope so," Kurt smiled, "I really hope so."

Blaine sighed in relief,

"Oh good," he said. He had been fairly sure, but this confirmation had just made Blaine even happier, "besides, we wouldn't want to dip into your sacred clothing budget any more than we had too, would we?' he teased.

Kurt smacked him lightly on the arm.

"You're impossible!" he giggled, then conceded, "but you have a point."

Blaine looked as smug as a sparrow safe in a birdhouse, beyond the reach of an irritated cat.

"I know," he said, "and that refers to both your observations."

Kurt giggled again and slipped his hand into Blaine's, tugging him gently towards the aisle. They edged out awkwardly, leaving the single other occupant of the theatre all alone. He seemed rather engrossed in the film, however, so he might not have even seen them go.

"I wonder whether the miraculous powers of coffee will somehow erase this movie from my memory?" Kurt wondered, "Unfortunately, somehow I doubt it will."

"Mmm. Coffee's pretty amazing, but not quite that amazing. Though I definitely wish it was!"

The ticket checker's satisfied grin as he noticed Kurt and Blaine's linked hands escaped the notice of neither of the couple. They both simply smiled sweetly, Blaine tipping the guy a mock-salute as they left.


	11. Pleasure, Pondering and Panic

"So how far away from here is this café?" Kurt asked as they left the cinema. The two men were walking side by side, their clasped hands swinging between them. Kurt had to admit that even this subtle action slightly terrified him. He would definitely not have been brave enough to do it in public if they were still back in Ohio. Although this was a sobering thought, it also made Kurt appreciate the comparative freedom that life in New York granted him. He just wished that such freedom was available to people everywhere.

"Only about a block," Blaine replied. He had seen Kurt's gaze flit down to their interlaced fingers, a sad, faraway look dulling his gorgeous eyes, and Blaine thought he knew what the other man was thinking. He squeezed Kurt's hand gently. "Someday it'll be different. People's opinions will change for the better. They have changed throughout history, and will continue to do so."

"I know," sighed Kurt, "it just takes time, and that's the hard thing. Although some wonderful advances have already been made, for which we should definitely be very grateful."

Blaine locked eyes with Kurt and smiled softly, the movement lighting up his whole face.

"And if changes keep happening at the rate that they have been recently, the world will become a better place in no time at all," he paused for a moment, taking in Kurt's raised eyebrow, then finished wryly, "relatively no time at all, of course. It will seem like a lifetime to us."

Kurt laughed fondly, not missing Blaine's hasty emendation.

"That is true. Unfortunately. I think this is helping a little bit, though!"

The sadness had been chased off Kurt's face, however, and at that moment he didn't exactly look like he truly meant that 'unfortunately'. Blaine was glad to notice this.

_'If I can make Kurt feel happy just one time in a day,'_ he decided, _'then I shall feel like that day was a day well spent.''_

Kurt bumped Blaine's shoulder gently with his own.

"What are you thinking?" he asked. "You look like you're in the middle of a fantastic dream. Except your eyes are open, which rather spoils the effect," he added as a teasing afterthought.

"Oh, nothing," came the breezy reply, accompanied by a traitorous raspberry flush on Blaine's cheeks. When he spotted Kurt's 'bitch, please' face, however, Blaine was compelled to add a falsely enthusiastic, "just looking forward to a nice cup of miraculous coffee!"

It was a particularly pathetic explanation, and Kurt's amused expression told Blaine that he had not been fooled. But Kurt let it slide, preferring to simply shake his head in affectionate exasperation. He did file the incident away for future retrieval and subsequent perusal, however.

"Do they have biscotti at this cafe?" he asked, "because they have extremely good biscotti at the Lima Bean, and I want to compare."

"The Lima Bean? I've been there before, I think. They make great coffee, don't they? Though I've never tried the biscotti, so I can't really comment. But I bet if it's anything like the coffee it will be divine."

"You've been to the Lima Bean and yet you haven't tried their biscotti?" Kurt exclaimed in mock-horror. "Oh, you poor, deprived child."

"Hey, I might be short, but I'm not a child!" Blaine's tone was indignant, causing Kurt to giggle.

"Oh honey, of course not. I'd be rather worried about you drinking coffee if you were a child!"

The use of the pet name surprised Blaine somewhat, but he found he quite liked it. Hearing it felt like a warm lamp had just been switched on in his belly. Blaine smiled and rubbed his thumb gently over the back of Kurt's hand, unknowingly reassuring the other man who had been worrying about how his use of the word 'honey' would be received after it had accidentally slipped out. It had seemed strangely natural to call Blaine that, though, even if this was only their first date.

Kurt's confidence having been bolstered up again, he couldn't resist making a cheeky observation under his breath,

"Even if you do sometimes act like one..."

Blaine couldn't help hearing, however, and stopped dead still as if he had just run into a pole, causing Kurt to stop as well. He pretended to glare at Kurt, his eyebrows raised, looking surprisingly similar to a parade-ground officer whipping around to locate the origin of the sound of a soldier's dropped rifle.

"Would you care to repeat that?"

"Repeat what?" asked Kurt innocently, "I'm sure that I didn't say anything. I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

Blaine's lips pushed forward into a pout, ignoring Kurt's protestations of ignorance.

"When have I ever acted like a child?" he demanded.

Kurt attempted to keep a straight face, but to no avail. Blaine's very facial expression and tone of voice were strongly reminiscent of a seven year old. With an inelegant snort, Kurt gave up the battle.

"When have I ever acted like a child?" he parroted, his exaggerated mimic of Blaine almost eclipsed by his giggles.

Blaine began to pout even more, then realised that by doing so he was simply undermining his defense. He changed tactics and put on a superior expression instead, deciding to use Kurt's own words against him. Kurt had, after all, done exactly the same thing to Blaine earlier that day.

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about," he said loftily.

Kurt looked at him. Although the expression on Blaine's face appeared stern, Kurt could see from the sparkle in Blaine's hazel eyes and the tiny twitch in the corner of his mouth that it was just about to slip. Noticing the faint smile lines on Blaine's face, and the way his long lashes cast faint shadows on his cheeks, Kurt was suddenly overcome with a rush of affection for the man. As well as being utterly gorgeous, the man had saved Kurt from perhaps serious injury, as well as from possible hypothermia.

Okay, so maybe that last one was a bit of an over-exaggeration, but the undeniable fact was that Kurt would have spent an extremely uncomfortable night if not for Blaine. In addition to this, Blaine had provided much-needed companionship on Kurt's first evening in New York, saving him the loneliness of a dinner by himself.

All these things washed away into a sea of insignificance, however, when compared to the riches Blaine had bestowed on Kurt by simply being himself. Blaine was generous, funny and kind, as well as being both the model of a perfect gentleman and adorably dorky - sometimes both at the same time. Not to mention rather attractive. Kurt considered himself almost incomprehensibly lucky to have met Blaine. And the fact that Blaine seemed to feel about Kurt in exactly the same way that Kurt felt about him was just the icing sugar on the raspberries.

A strange but irresistible impulse rushed through Kurt. Before he could think about it too deeply and therefore talk himself out of it, Kurt made the split-second decision to act on it. He quickly leant down and gently kissed Blaine's cheek, who by that stage had given up on his pretense and was grinning widely at Kurt, waiting to see how he would respond.

Blaine's mouth opened slightly in surprise. He had definitely not been expecting this sort of reaction to his teasing. But Blaine couldn't deny that it had been at all disappointing.

Kurt, meanwhile, had seen Blaine's expression and mistaken it for shock. A rosy flush was creeping up his neck and settling uncomfortably on his cheeks. He stammered,

"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have, I'm sorry. I just..." Kurt trailed off, turning his head away so that he didn't have to look Blaine in the eyes. Kurt felt utterly humiliated. He'd known Blaine for less than twenty-four hours, and yet here he was, practically attacking the poor man!

_'Way to let your total inexperience at this show, Kurt,'_ he chided himself miserably, _'Blaine's had boyfriends before. You haven't. That was obviously moving_ ** _way_** _too fast. Now you've probably ruined a budding relationship. And it's the first one you've ever had_. _'_

In truth, however, unbeknownst to Kurt for the moment, the only place that that humiliation actually existed was in his head.

Watching the other man begin to panic, Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand hurriedly, anxious to release him from the trap that Blaine's way of painting his emotions boldly on the canvas of his face had set, and that had been sprung by Kurt's habit of almost constantly over-thinking and subsequently doubting his actions immediately after he had performed them.

Blaine raised his hand to hesitantly cup the side of Kurt's face. He turned Kurt's head gently but insistently back towards himself, forcing the young man to look into his eyes. Kurt's own brilliant glasz eyes were shimmering with a thin layer of tears, the sight of which caused what felt like a pile of rocks to land in the bottom of Blaine's stomach.

_'Well, I may have succeeded in making Kurt happy earlier, thereby validating my existence for the day, but now I've cancelled that out by making him sad. Actually, scrap that. I'm going to have to lift Kurt's mood every day for two weeks to make up for this. God, you're an idiot, Blaine. Why can't you ever control your reactions?'_

There was nothing that Blaine could do, however, other than attempt to reassure Kurt in any way possible.

"Hey, no, no," he said desperately, "I just wasn't expecting it. That doesn't mean that I didn't like it, though."

Kurt blinked.

"I haven't freaked you out?" he asked, still unsure, the red beginning to recede from his cheeks and the glimmer of tears in his eyes slowly being replaced by a glimmer of hope.

"Oh, no," Blaine replied, softly stroking the pad of his thumb across the silky skin covering Kurt's cheekbone, "I wasn't freaked out at all."

Kurt smiled hesitantly. Blaine was so close to Kurt that he could feel the warmth of Kurt's almost-imperceptible exhale of relief brush gently over his skin, and see the tiny specks of teardrops still clinging to Kurt's dark eyelashes like early-morning dew clings to a delicate spider's web.

They both remained gazing at each other, the distance between them so close and thick that it was almost like it wasn't there at all. Kurt's eyes gradually flickered shut as Blaine leaned nearer still, each unconsciously taking a barely-there breath and holding it safe and secure in their chests.

Their lips finally touched, so lightly at first that it felt as if a butterfly had just landed there. Then it was like a rose petal had been pressed against the lips of each, then they were kissing properly. Kurt should have been at a complete loss for what to do, but strangely he wasn't. Every movement just felt natural and perfect and _right_. Each millisecond seemed a full one; each moment stretched for eternity. The kiss was exciting and calming and joyful and bittersweet all at once. It was like being tugged along by an ocean current, frightened of drowning, but not wanting to escape. It was like gradually sinking then falling uncontrollably in love. Simultaneously.

Kurt's arms had come down to wind around Blaine's neck, and Blaine's spare hand was resting on Kurt's shoulder blade. They reluctantly ended the kiss after what seemed like both an eternity and an unbearably short length of time, resting their foreheads together, not being able to stand complete separation just yet. Both were entirely lost for words, but then again, neither felt the need to speak as both knew that any words used in this situation would be entirely inadequate.

It was Blaine who eventually broke the silence, reaching up for another kiss, this time a tender peck, before speaking,

"As much as I wish we could just stay here forever, we should probably stop blocking the sidewalk."

Kurt blushed again, suddenly realising,

"Oh my God, we're in public."

Blaine chuckled,

"Don't worry, there's no one here. Just that group of middle-aged women in that cafe over the road there watching us and smiling."

Kurt span around immediately to face the way that Blaine had nodded. The ladies in question beamed at him before turning back to resume their conversation, not even bothering to pretend that they hadn't seen the couple kiss. He groaned, turning an even darker shade of strawberry.

"That is _so_ embarrassing."

"Hey," Blaine grinned, "at least there isn't anyone around that we know. The only people who would have seen us are absolute strangers. That's the beauty of living in a big city like New York!"

He suddenly caught sight of a blonde and brunette couple leaving the cafe with wide grins on their faces, homing in on Kurt and Blaine at a fast walk, and hesitated. "Oh, shit.'


	12. New

Kurt saw Blaine's reassuring expression change rapidly to one of mingled annoyance and embarrassment.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"I was mistaken," Blaine grimaced, glancing apologetically at Kurt, "There _are_ people we know here. Well, people I know, at least." He inclined his head surreptitiously towards the couple gleefully striding towards them. Blaine hesitated for a moment, biting his lip, then suddenly came to a decision, "Pretend we haven't seen them and casually walk away," he said. "Quickly."

Kurt looked curiously at the couple out of the corner of his eye, but decided that this was probably not the best time to ask any further questions. He kept his interest quiet with effort, not unlike a person attempting to conceal hiccoughs, and instead hurried after Blaine, trying to look as though he was simply strolling peacefully along. The couple quickened their pace as soon as they saw Kurt and Blaine start moving, immediately guessing what Blaine was trying to do.

Each gradual, sequential increase in Kurt and Blaine's speed was matched by an identical one in the couple's. Consequently, Kurt and Blaine managed to travel only about fifty metres down the street before Blaine's admittedly rather weak tactic failed and the couple caught up to them.

"Busted," Blaine muttered darkly. He stopped, sighing, and turned slowly around. Kurt spun also, interested in where this confrontation was going to head. Blaine's grumbling, meanwhile, had been overheard by both of the rapidly approaching men.

"Aw, Blainers, you know that was a pathetic attempt," the brunette smirked. Kurt couldn't help but grin also, noticing the use of the nickname and finding it quite amusing. As well as potentially rather useful for future reference. And the man did have a point, after all. Blaine's plan had been very unlikely to succeed.

"Yeah," the blonde agreed, "it was always doomed to fail." The couple were smiling widely now, like two Cheshire cats.

Blaine groaned,

"Kurt, this is Nick and Jeff. Two _extremely_ annoying friends from Dalton. Nick and Jeff, this is Kurt."

"Your boyfriend," the blonde, Jeff, chimed in, a teasing flash of light in his eye. "We know; we saw you two kissing."

"Not that you could really miss it," Nick added with an almost-identical expression.

Kurt chose to be polite and ignore Nick and Jeff's comments, and instead stepped forward to shake their hands. Well, ignore all their comments apart from the first one, that is, which had been more of a statement than a jibe. Were they boyfriends, now? He glanced back over his shoulder at Blaine, shrugging slightly with a small, questioning half-smile. Blaine returned the shrug, accompanied with a larger smile of his own in confirmation. If Kurt was happy with that relationship definition, he certainly was. And if Kurt's reply, consisting of an even wider grin, overflowing with happiness, was any thing to go by, he liked the idea of being boyfriends just as much as Blaine did.

Nick, meanwhile, was looking Kurt up and down critically.

"Hmm..." he said, "you look much nicer than any of Blaine's previous boyfriends. Not like a total sleazebag at all. And judging from the way you two kissed..."

"...I'd say that you are destined to last a lot longer, too," Jeff finished. Kurt's eyes widened at how Jeff had entered in the middle of Nick's sentence with even a tiny pause. The effect was slightly disturbing.

"Don't worry..." Nick began, having noticed Kurt's surprise and deciding to capitalise on it.

"...we do that quite a lot," Jeff explained, joining in on the joke eagerly, "we like to think that..."

"...our apparently-psychic powers just show how..." Nick elaborated.

"...close we are as a couple," Jeff finished smugly.

Kurt blinked, just a touch overwhelmed. Blaine huffed in exasperation,

"Just ignore them. They enjoy weirding everyone they meet for the first time with their creepy 'ability'."

"It's not creepy..." Jeff pouted.

"...it's cute!"

"Nick, it is most definitely _not_ cute," Blaine shook his head.

"Well, neither are bowties!" Nick exclaimed, affronted. This sudden jump in topic confused Kurt somewhat, but he reflected that there must have been unresolved issues pertaining to bowties in the past.

"Hey! Bowties are cool!"

Kurt decided to give up on the inevitable argument of which he knew no background, and instead asked Jeff,

"So, you two are together?"

"Yep, we have been for about two years now," Jeff replied with a touch of pride, "how about you and Blaine? We saw him yesterday afternoon and he didn't mention having a boyfriend. Or even any guy that he particularly liked... Although that might have just been to avoid our teasing, " he reflected.

Blaine and Nick's argument was continuing in the background...

"But the Doctor wears bowties!"

"Yeah, but he's _weird_."

"Well you and Jeff reading each other's minds is weirder!"

... but neither Jeff nor Kurt was paying any attention to it.

The latter blushed in response to Jeff's question and hesitated slightly before replying,

"Well, um... it's kind of a funny story how we met..."

Jeff half-grinned, half-gaped in fond incredulity as a revelation suddenly threw itself upon him like an over-excited toddler,

"You only met yesterday, didn't you!"

"Well... yes," Kurt winced. He was aware of how bad this sounded. "I know it seems strange, to care so deeply about someone you didn't know just 24 hours ago, but I really do. Care very deeply about Blaine, I mean."

"Hey, no, it doesn't," Jeff reassured with smiling eyes, having recovered by this time from his surprise, "it's simply a case of 'love at first sight', or whatever." He then played his trump card, "And as we both know as well as anyone, there really are no such things as rules for love."

Kurt gave a wry little laugh,

"I guess you're right. And, I mean, it may as well have been love at first sight. He saved me from being beaten up by two thugs, you see, so at the time he appeared a bit like an angel. Or a knight in shining armour," he laughed again.

"Ah, of course. Blaine, always the chivalrous gentleman," Jeff chuckled. "Did he pull out his boxing knowledge to frighten them away?"

"It was quite effective," nodded Kurt, "they just sloped off looking rather embarrassed."

"Serves the bullies right," Jeff said in satisfaction, mixed with a touch of pride for his close friend. "So what did you do then?"

"Well, I had just been on the way to find a place to have dinner, and Blaine hadn't eaten yet, either, so he suggested that we go to this noodle place that he knew."

"The same one he frequents numerous times a week? He waxes lyrical about that place!"

"Yes, the girl there -Trish - called him their 'most loyal customer',' Kurt laughed. He wasn't surprised that Blaine had recommended it to his friends. And it was just like Blaine to get so enthusiastic about something. Kurt then remembered another piece of relevant information, "Actually, we might be working there soon, with any luck."

"Oh, that's good that you've found a job! Nick and I work at a bar. It's quite small, but fairly popular," Jeff informed him. "I'm impressed that you finally got Blaine up off his lazy, sad ass!"

"How did _you_ two meet?" asked Kurt curiously, politely ignoring Jeff's joking jibe. He could tell it came from a place of love, and wasn't meant seriously. He'd been wondering how Nick and Jeff had met ever since they'd been introduced as a couple.

"We'd been best friends ever since we both started at Dalton, when we were fourteen," Nick answered for his boyfriend. The argument between himself and Blaine had apparently been abandoned, or perhaps settled one way or the other.

Y

"They were so irritating," Blaine told Kurt, rolling his eyes as he re-lived the memories, "it was painfully obvious that they had feelings for each other. The idiots just tried to ignore those feelings for two whole years before they could bring themselves to admit them. So many sickeningly sweet exchanges, and so much barely-concealed sexual tension..."

"We didn't want to ruin our friendship," Jeff stated whilst shrugging, acting casual but with a baby hedgehog-like bristle of defensiveness.

Kurt nodded. The past day or so had taught him that torn, frightened feeling, although he had not experienced it to the same extent that Nick and Jeff must have over two long years. Similarly, since meeting Kurt, Blaine also secretly sympathised with his friends. Not that he would ever admit it, of course. Blaine had teased Nick and Jeff about their reluctance to divulge their feelings too often in the last few years for him to ever concede that he had, at any stage (no matter how brief), shared that same hesitance.

"Also," added Nick, "no one really knew that we were gay. I certainly didn't think that Jeff was, and vice versa." This had, as one would easily assume, been a rather major problem.

"No one knew," Blaine corrected, rolling his eyes again, "except, of course, everyone who ever saw you two together. Apart from yourselves, obviously."

"We weren't that bad!" Nick protested. Blaine raised an incredulous eyebrow. Nick hit him.

"Children, children," Kurt chided, pretending to be serious. He couldn't, however, hold either his curiosity or his giggles at bay. "So how did you finally get together?" Kurt asked.

"The Warblers staged an intervention," Blaine said gleefully. "Needless to say, it was extremely successful."

"It was hideously embarrassing," Jeff corrected. "They engineered a game of 'spin the bottle', and rigged it so that Nick and I kissed."

"Can you even rig 'spin the bottle'?" Kurt asked, at once both slightly incredulous and slightly impressed.

"Apparently," Jeff shrugged with a wry twist of his lips, "well, the Warblers managed to, anyway. And if anyone can accomplish the impossible, it's the Warblers."

"Impressive."

Blaine nodded in satisfaction,

"I know."

"We tried to forget that it ever happened," Nick continued, "we didn't really know how to deal with it. Both of us were too scared to confess our true feelings."

"And then Nick found my diary..." sighed Jeff, "and we talked, and kissed a bit..."

"...a lot," Blaine interjected.

"...and ended up going out," Jeff steadfastly ignored his friend's comment. "It had seemed like the end of the world at certain times, but it was actually a blessing in disguise."

"A bit like almost being beaten up by two thugs?" Kurt suggested. "Destiny sometimes appears to play by some rather strange rules."

"Destiny it may have been, but I'm convinced that she enlisted the Warblers to help her," stated Blaine.

Nick scowled at him,

"Us getting together was _hardly_ thanks to the Warblers!" he scoffed. "You guys had practically nothing to do with it."

"We did so! If not for the 'spin the bottle' incident and our numerous subtle hints, you two would have never gotten together."

"Subtle?" Jeff snorted, "the Warblers have _never_ been subtle. They just like to think that they are."

"And you aren't able tell us that we can't talk," continued Nick, "as we were Warblers as well, so we have experience in these matters. Our plan to make you break up with Fletcher, for example, was not subtle in the least, despite being a resounding success. What the Warblers set out to achieve, they almost always do."

"That's true," Blaine conceded, stealing a quick, self-conscious glance at Kurt. "It _was_ the complete opposite of subtle to steal his phone and show me the sexts he'd sent to that sophomore. Even though that rather blunt tactic was nevertheless quite effective." Buoyed up by the sympathetic look he received from Kurt, Blaine continued, "Although I do think that that plan backfired a bit on all of you, especially Wes and David."

"Oh?" Kurt inquired, interested.

Jeff shuddered and responded,

"A whole week of Blaine singing, humming and playing mushy, depressing break-up songs. That was hell. Though at least we weren't forced to watch endless reruns of rom-coms, or put on a couple of pounds due to excessive icecream consumption. Poor David and Wes..."

"Ah, yes, Blaine did mention his methods of coping with a break-up to me," Kurt laughed.

Nick suddenly turned to face him, placing his hands solidly on Kurt's shoulders, and started to speak seriously. Or at least pretended to, anyway.

"Be warned, Kurt. If you ever break our Blainer's heart, we _will_ hunt you down. I'm sure Wes and David will jump at the chance to join us, too. _No one_ deserves to be tortured in the way we will be if we have to help Blaine get over yet another break-up," he appeared to joke after delivering the warning.

Kurt had become rather pale by this stage, as though all the blood in his body had decided to pool in his feet, instead of in his face, which had been the case recently. He smiled shakily around at the three faces that were currently staring at him. Nick's display of humour had been entirely lost on Kurt, following, as it was, the man's undeniable threat.

Jeff and Nick were attempting to look menacing and failing miserably. It was obvious that both of Blaine's friends cared about him a great deal. Blaine himself looked mildly embarrassed, as well as reassuring and rather apologetic. All at the same time.

_'Blaine just seems to be able to blend completely different facial expressions together,'_ Kurt thought. _'I've never met anyone else who could do that so well. Mind you, Blaine is_ so _amazing and unique. And he's my boyfriend! I still can't really believe that. What did I ever do to deserve such an incredible man?'_

Nick and Jeff's fake expressions had fallen right away once they had seen Kurt whiten like a sheet of homemade paper placed out in the sun. Jeff patted him on the shoulder gently,

"We're exaggerating, Kurt," he reassured. "You seem like a great guy. And, even though we really only just met, I think you'll be fantastic for Blaine."

Kurt's smile this time it was one filled with genuine happiness (and a good deal of relief).

"Thank you. That means a lot. You two are amazing friends to Blaine. And please believe me when I say that I will _never_ do anything to intentionally hurt him. He means far too much to me to ever even consider that."

Blaine gazed at Kurt, his eyes impossibly warm and deep, dragging Kurt into them as though they were black holes.

"And the same goes for me to Kurt," he said softly as a tiny smile alighted upon his lips.

The two looked into each other's eyes for a few more seconds, totally oblivious to anyone else or to their surroundings, until Nick started making fake gagging sounds.

Kurt looked away, blushing, but Blaine just smacked his now-grinning friend on the arm. Kurt wondered how often Blaine did this, and whether Nick had ever bruised from the repeated occurrence.

"Hey!" Blaine exclaimed, "it's not like I haven't had to put up with Jeff and you making heart-eyes at each other for years, even before you two actually got together."

"We did _not_ make heart-eyes at each other!" Nick protested.

Blaine snorted,

"Oh, please. You two are the soppiest item I've ever seen. Even when you were just 'friends' you acted like an old married couple. It was sickening."

"As touching as you and Kurt are, Blaine," broke in Jeff, "and although Blaine does have a point, I think what my somewhat-idiotic boyfriend is trying to communicate is that we are actually blocking the sidewalk, and have been for quite some time now, so therefore we should probably move somewhere else."

Kurt winced,

"Oh no, not again..."

Both Nick and Jeff turned to look at him, curiosity covering their faces.

Blaine sighed,

"Well, first we were talking in the doorway at the restaurant, and a we didn't realise that a lady was trying to get past before she asked us to move."

Kurt blushed again,

"And, um..."

"You were blocking the sidewalk when you were kissing?" Nick supplied.

"Yes, we saw at least three people have to detour around you onto the road," Jeff nodded gleefully. Taking in the stricken expressions on Kurt and Blaine's faces, he softened slightly and hastily and eagerly reassured them,

"They were all smiling."

Nick agreed,

"Yeah, they were. One girl even was even filming it. I reckon it's probably on tumblr by now," he grinned delightedly.

Kurt and Blaine groaned loudly, the former hiding his head in his boyfriend's shoulder whilst Blaine buried his in his hands.

"You didn't have to tell them that!' Jeff hissed at Nick.

He smiled evilly,

"Oh, but look at them, Jeffy! They're all bright red and embarrassed, like man-sized, man-shaped lobsters. It's hilarious."

Kurt raised his head slightly from Blaine's shoulder to snort in amusement at both Jeff's nickname and at the ridiculous simile, before dropping it back down again. Blaine's shoulder was very comfy, better than a feather-stuffed pillow, so Kurt was going to attempt to stay there as long as possible.

Jeff, meanwhile, shook his head wearily at his incorrigible boyfriend,

"That's true, but... it's cruel, Nick."

Now it was Blaine's turn to lift up his head, nodding emphatically in agreement with Jeff,

"Very cruel," he stated, pretending to glare at his friend. The infuriating man just grinned cheerfully.

Kurt decided that now was the time to break in,

"We _are_ still blocking the sidewalk, you realise," he pointed out. Slightly foolish expressions came over the others' faces.

"Whoops," Nick said.

"Kurt and I were on our way Maple Sugar. Do you guys want to join us?" suggested Blaine. On one hand, he would have liked to continue their date in private. But that would have been rude, and Nick and Jeff were very good friends. They both seemed to like Kurt, and get on well with him. Besides, Kurt and Blaine were living in the same apartment block, and were going to be attending NYADA together. It wasn't like Blaine was deprived of opportunities to spend time with his boyfriend. _'I love calling Kurt that...'_

"That would be great," Jeff gratefully. Nick and himself had hijacked Kurt and Blaine's date somewhat, so it was nice of Blaine to invite them along.

"Yeah, we were just standing in line in that cafe, waiting to order, when we caught sight of you two," supplied Nick. He never turned opportunities to drink coffee down, and was pleased that he'd be able to make up for the cup he'd missed in order to catch Blaine and Kurt.

"A cup of coffee together, then," Kurt smiled at his new friends. Although the way in which they had met had been slightly awkward, he was very glad that he had made Nick and Jeff's acquaintances. Kurt had been in New York less than 24 hours, and already he'd formed six new friendships and found an amazing man with whom he was pretty sure he was in love. Fortune appeared to be following Kurt like his own, personal sun shower, drenching the hard-baked soils of his previously drought-stricken life.

Sure, Kurt had been extremely lucky to have an accepting father who loved him for who he was, as well as caring, supportive friends and a new family in Carole and Finn. Carole could not completely replace Kurt's real mother, however, and, try as they might, neither his family or his friends could cover Kurt in enough love to protect him from the world's bigots and bullies.

But that was hundreds of miles away back in Ohio. This was New York. And Kurt had a faint, ghost of an idea that the 'new' in New York could also represent the 'new' in 'new life', 'new prospects', 'new love' and 'new hope'.


	13. Epilogue

It was just an unremarkable Wednesday night in a quiet suburb of New York, and most of the neighborhood would have appeared to a random passer-by to be a ghost town, if that particular passer-by had taken its deserted streets for any indication. 'Blaine's' noodle place, however, was almost vibrating with energy. Courtesy of an unexpected, but nevertheless extremely well-deserved rave review in a local paper, the faithful clientele of the already-popular place had more than doubled, literally overnight. Bookings had recently started being accepted, and the owners were planning an expansion into the property next door, as well as a comprehensive renovation. They were adamant, however, that the existing menu and most particularly the staff remain the same, as changing these two elements would essentially obliterate the reason why the restaurant had been so well endorsed in the first place.

Whilst it was brilliant that the restaurant was receiving so many customers, this made for a rather stressful time for Kurt and Blaine. They had begun the evening with Kurt on the floor and Blaine helping the chefs out the back, but the two had recently switched duties. 

From his vantage point in the restaurant's kitchen, Kurt could see his boyfriend weaving smoothly around the multitude of tables, seemingly-calm and unruffled, dealing competently with the vast number of orders and requests that were being shot at him from every direction like speeding arrows. Blaine was presenting himself, as he did almost-infallibly, in his gentlemanly, dapper manner.

Kurt could tell, however, that Blaine was not nearly as collected as he outwardly appeared. His jaw was clenched, and there was an aluminum foil crinkle between his adorably triangular eyebrows. Blaine was a master at concealing his emotions or any suffering that he was going through; he had never been one to voluntarily show weakness. But trying to hide anything from Kurt was like trying to hide a birthday present from a child; almost always doomed to abject failure. Unfortunately, there was nothing Kurt could do to help his boyfriend as he was just as under pressure as Blaine.

A woman resembling a walking (well, sitting, in this case) zoo snapped her fingers imperiously with a cry of 'Waiter! Waiter!' Kurt spotted Blaine stealing a despairing glance in the obnoxious customer's direction over an armful of precariously-balanced dishes, and was goaded into action as though that hopeless look was sharp spurs slamming into his side. 

With a winced 'Sorry!' to the chefs and Tash, who was working next to him, Kurt slid out of the kitchen and hurried over to the lady. She still had her arm raised in the air, and was gazing around with raised eyebrows.

'Yes, Ma'am?' Kurt inquired politely, dying slightly inside as the true force of the woman's outfit slammed into him like an out-of-control snowboarder. Basic good sense had apparently not deterred this particular lady from wearing a leopard-print mini-dress, combined with crocodile-skin stilettos. A fur stole was draped across the back of her chair. And it wasn’t just the combination of clothes. Kurt couldn’t help but hope that the crocodile skin and fur were fake, as the alternative was, in his opinion, far too cruel. He swallowed and attempted not to look as nauseous as he felt.

'This dish is far too spicy,' the customer complained. 'It's simply inedible. I demand a replacement.' Kurt tightened his lips imperceptibly and grabbed a menu from a (mercifully free) nearby table.

'Was this the dish you ordered, Ma'am?'

'Yes.'

'Well, this dish is marked with a picture of two chilies. That means that it's 'moderately spicy'.' The woman started shaking her head and Kurt continued, 'May I venture to suggest that in future you order a dish with only one chili next to it? You might find that more agreeable.'

'See? That's what I told you, Nana,' a small voice piped up. Kurt noticed for the first time a young boy seated next to the lady nodding sagely. He shot a discreet thumbs up to the kid, who grinned conspiratorially back.

'Shhh, Malcolm,' the boy's grandmother hissed, 'what have I told you about speaking like that in public? Your parents spoil you far too much, in my opinion.' Kurt cleared his throat, glancing apologetically at Malcolm,

"I can fetch you some more water, Ma'am, if you would like?' he suggested, 'or does Mr. Malcolm here like hotter dishes? I think you'll find that his meal is much milder than yours. And we'll throw in a drink of his choice to make it up to him.' Kurt winked at the boy. The woman hesitated for a moment, clearly put out that she hadn't been offered a refund or an exchange in recompense for her mistake. Her grandson, on the other hand, beamed at being called 'Mr. Malcolm' - and the offer of a drink, of course.

'We can swap dishes, Nana,' he said, 'I wanted to order your dinner, anyway, only you said I should get something different instead.' The lady pursed her lips, looking far from happy. She finally sighed in annoyance,

'Ok, then,' she said reluctantly, 'I'll try it.'

'Good,' spoke Kurt cheerfully, 'I'll go and fetch you two some more water, then. Have a think about what you'd like to drink, Malcolm. I hope you enjoy your food!' He waltzed off, pointedly ignoring the glare of Malcolm's nana shadowing him like a defending player in netball. Poor Malcolm. He hoped to God that that kid's parents were better specimens of humanity than his grandmother.

  

* * *

Kurt returned to the kitchen, passing Blaine and Tash conversing hurriedly on the way. Blaine reached out and squeezed Kurt's arm gently with a grateful smile. Thank goodness his boyfriend was both so alert and so caring. Blaine simply didn't think he would have been able to cope if he'd had to deal with Leopard Lady's foolish snobbery on top of everything else. 

Their eyes met momentarily and Kurt brushed his fingers over Blaine's bicep affectionately before regretfully continuing on his way. That was one downside of working together; although they could see each other almost-constantly, there was not much opportunity for Kurt or Blaine to enjoy each other's company. Most nights, this made for a minor form of torture.

Kurt snuck a glance at the clock above the stove as soon as he reached the kitchen. He was in two minds about that clock. On one hand, Kurt liked to know both what the time was and for how much longer his shift would last. On some occasions, however, Kurt would find himself watching practically every single second ticking by praying for the hands to move faster. 

When he was able to find the motivation, Kurt would test how long his self-control could last by avoiding reading the time and trying to distract himself with other things. The latter was not always so difficult; people-watching could be quite fascinating. Especially when the restaurant had customers like Leopard Lady. Kurt enjoyed assigning totally fabricated backstories, situations and relationships to the people dining, trying to stitch these all together with thin threads of evidence. It could prove to be quite an amusing pastime.

At the present moment it was apparently just past eight o'clock. Kurt gritted his teeth briefly in annoyance. The next shift was supposed to be here by now. Preferably ten minutes ago, in actual fact. In a way, Kurt felt slightly sorry for them; the late shift could be tricky. Although there weren't as many customers as in the first shift, the restaurant stayed open until 11pm, and waitering then could become really quite tiring. Right at that moment, however, all of Kurt's empathy had been washed far away by the currents of his irritation.

The small bell on the restaurant door jingled its often-played tune as a couple left. Kurt glanced up hopefully. He'd heard that ring so many times that it was usually just sucked into the quicksand of noise accompanying every moment in the restaurant: the clinking of cutlery and crockery; footsteps tapping along; and the undulating swell of conversation and laughter. There was a slim chance, however, that this might be the late shift arriving - 'late' in more ways than one. 

This time, however, it was just a table being vacated. Actually, Kurt noticed, looking around, there were a few tables free now. The tide of customers seemed to be slowly waning.

'Go figure,' Kurt huffed irritably to himself. How was it that as soon as he and Blaine had almost finished an incredibly busy shift, the number of customers in the restaurant appeared to drop by half? Kurt scowled darkly at his hands, then at the clock. Ten past eight. Seriously, of all the days for the others to be late, why did it have to be this one? All Kurt wanted to do was enjoy a nice meal with his boyfriend on their three-month anniversary. But no; instead he had to be slaving away serving customers as rude as Leopard Lady.

At that moment Tash came up behind Kurt and tapped him on the shoulder with an amused smirk.

'Don't burn a hole in that clock,' she warned jokingly, 'it's not its fault they're late.'

'I know. It's just irritating that they always are,' Kurt blushed, slightly ashamed of how he had grabbed any excuse to worsen and prolong his bad mood. Tash nodded sympathetically,

'Well, how about you just take these two dishes to table thirteen,' she offered, 'then you and Blaine can clock out and we'll cover you until the next shift arrives.'

'Oh, Tash, you're amazing,' Kurt said gratefully as he relieved the girl of the fragrant, fire-hot dishes, 'thank you so much,' he added, shifting the plates desperately around his hands.

If it hadn't been for Tash, Kurt and Blaine might not even have been hired in the first place. Over the last three months the couple had grown close to the girl. Not only was she a considerate co-worker, she was also fun friend. 

Tash showed the latter element when, after turning to rush off in an impressively calm manner, she tossed a wink over her shoulder to Kurt. This was accompanied by the words,

'We wouldn't want to keep the golden couple away from each other for too long on their three-month anniversary, now, would we?'

Kurt gaped at the girl and shook his head dumbly, an action just caught by Tash as snuck a glance back at him before snorting softly in laughter.

'How did you... never mind,' Kurt started, confused, then trailed off in surrender. Tash was too far away to possibly hear him above the constant din of the restaurant. And even if she could, she wouldn't tell him how she knew about the significance of this particular date. Kurt could swear that he had never once mentioned it to her. Or to anyone at work, for that matter. But it wasn't as though Tash would ever enlighten him; not for a substantial while, at least. She'd just tap the side of her nose teasingly with her mouth twisted into that utterly unique, intensely irritating, secret smirk that she alone possessed, and keep completely silent 

Kurt shrugged to himself and huffed out a small, amused laugh. Maybe Tash would tell him how she knew tomorrow evening. Or perhaps next year. With Tash, it could equally be either. But right at that moment, Kurt had food to deliver. Delicious-smelling food that caused his mouth to salivate and his stomach to wrench in hunger. Neither Kurt nor Blaine had eaten before they'd gone to work; something which quite probably had been, upon reflection, not such a good idea.

' _Poor Blaine must be starving. He's  always hungry, but I'm surprised he hasn't collapsed by now. Especially with all the rushing around he's had to do.'_

It didn't help Kurt's hunger when he realised that both the dishes Tash had given him were pad thai, his favourite. He sighed and attempted to ignore the black hole in his stomach that was apparently trying to digest his organs. 

_'Just these two dishes. Lucky people. But just these two, then I can grab Blaine and we'll make off to the nearest take-away. Eating's a priority, right now.'_

Kurt was trying not to breathe in the mouth-watering smell of the food, but without a great deal of success. He therefore decided that the best thing to do for his sanity would be to deliver the dishes as soon as possible, so swayed elegantly around the doorjamb and out of the kitchen, the thought that he had almost finished work reviving him enough to put a touch more life and care into his walk and general bearing.

Table thirteen was tucked comfortably into a secluded corner of the restaurant, neither too close to the door with its regular jingling and puffs of frozen air, nor to the kitchen reverberating with various clangs, hisses and occasional curses. Only large enough for two people, an intricately carved bamboo screen partially divided the table from the majority of the others. It was easily the best place to be seated in the restaurant, despite its number being considered by some to be unlucky.

As table thirteen was quite private, couples on dates were often shown there. It was actually referred to affectionately as 'the love spot' by the restaurant's employees, a phrase that had, not surprisingly, been spun like a spider's web from the imagination of the inimitable Tash. If the dining couple appeared agreeable, the waitstaff would light small candles in engraved red glass holder to infuse the air with a romantic glow. A customer such as Leopard Lady, however, would receive no such special treatment. The restaurant's employees could be ruthless.

Kurt threaded his way carefully but quickly through dense, complicated patterns of tables, a small number occupied but the majority empty. He gritted his teeth when he caught his foot on the slender metal leg of a crooked chair, almost dropping the two plates he was carrying. Fortunately, the restaurant's customers appeared not to notice. It didn't look very professional for a waiter to be tripping over the furniture, no matter how irregularly it was placed.

Pausing when he reached the bamboo screen, Kurt hoisted on what he referred to to himself as his 'customer face'. A cold, rude waiter tended to be appreciated even less than a clumsy one by the diners. And whilst it was true that restaurants' relative merits were largely calculated on the standard of their food, service and atmosphere did contribute markedly to a customer's overall satisfaction. The latter qualities were two of the things that had contributed to the restaurant's recent, almost-overwhelming spike in popularity.

When he eventually rounded the screen, however, Kurt halted in confusion. Blaine attempted not to laugh at the fact one of his boyfriend's feet was actually held suspended in the air, mid-step. Kurt just gazed in complete shock at the scene in front of him. 

Blaine was seated at the small wooden table, grinning up at Kurt with so much love evident in his eyes that it was almost surprising that they were able to contain it all, and it didn't overflow like warm tears. The polished table itself reflected the light of half a dozen small, red candles. They shone, sparkling, on two glasses of champagne and cast deep satin shadows from the ruby coloured rose petals scattered across the bare table top.

‘Hi there,’ Blaine smiled. Kurt just shook his head, gaping. After a pause he said,

‘So, uh, I guess _that’s_ why Tash knew that today was our three-month anniversary.’ Blaine just grinned wider in response. ‘...Did you seriously just make me bring out my own food?’

His boyfriend bit his lip to hold back a laugh and widened his eyes to a level Kurt referred to inside the privacy of his own mind (and occasionally to Sabina, Skye and Hildie) as ‘innocent puppy’, 

‘What? No, I’m waiting to have dinner with my other boyfriend. You haven’t seen him, have you?’

Kurt rolled his eyes as he carefully deposited one dish in front of Blaine, then one in front of his own place. Sitting down, he giggled,

‘Oh, he’s probably busy lecturing a woman on the ‘dos and don’ts’ of leopard print. Or any other animal product clothing, for that matter.’

Blaine looked confused.

‘What? ....Oh, _her_ ,’ he grimaced. Kurt nodded grimly,

‘Uh-huh. Ugh. The nana from hell, I swear. I felt sorry for her grandson. He seemed like a lovely boy.’ Blaine just winced in sympathy. ‘Anyway...’ Kurt continued, ‘you remembered my favourite order?’ he looked grateful and impressed.

‘Of course I did, dummy. Well, it does help that it’s exactly the same as mine...’ Kurt rolled his eyes again,

‘You’re impossible.’

‘I know,’ Blaine beamed, ‘but you love me anyway,’ he added jokingly. Kurt hesitated,

‘I do,’ he nodded nervously, then waited anxiously to see how Blaine would respond. Would he freak out? Kurt felt slightly sick and glanced away from the man, down at his plate.

_‘Why did I have to say that? I don’t even know if he feels that way about me, yet. But the way he looks at me, sometimes... like tonight, for example...’_

‘I love you too.’ Blaine reached across the table and took Kurt’s hands gently, stopping the apprehensive twisting that Kurt hadn’t even noticed was occurring. Kurt slowly raised his gaze to meet Blaine’s eyes, smiling tremulously. The love evident in them steamed warmly, dissipating all his fears. Kurt raised his and Blaine’s joined hands and kissed them softly, still smiling. ‘I really do,’ Blaine squeezed their hands before releasing Kurt, ‘now, I think I’ve forgotten how to use chopsticks...’

  

* * *

  

‘My Dad’s so excited to meet you, you know,’ Kurt told Blaine. Their plates had long-since been enthusiastically emptied and pushed to one side of the small table, along with the faintly flickering candle. Fire could make holding hands across the tabletop a touch tricky, even if it was only in the form of a tiny tealight on the verge of burning out.

Blaine gulped, trying not to pale and show Kurt how worried he really was about Burt and Carole’s impending visit to New York. Although the atmosphere was shadowy, Kurt seemed to have a freakish ability to analyze colours even in the worst light. 

_‘That’s probably one of the reasons he has such a phenomenal fashion sense,’_ Blaine reflected wryly.

 Kurt had attempted to reassure him on many occasions that, _‘No, Dad really was looking forward to meeting him, and so was Carole, and they both loved him already (well, Carole had said that; that wasn’t exactly the sort of thing that Dad would say) and NO! Dad did not have a shotgun! Where on earth had Blaine gotten that idea?’_ but it hadn’t really worked to any great extent.

‘Blaine, Blaine, I know you’re nervous,’ Kurt said sympathetically. ‘You’re as transparent as a sheet of glass, honey. But remember how you felt about meeting our neighbours? And how glad you were in the end that you had taken the risk?’ Blaine nodded reluctantly,

‘I know. And everything went just fine, I know. 

‘This is no different,’ Kurt reassured him. ‘It will be okay. I promise it will be okay.’ He reached over to stroke Blaine’s cheek softly, then smoothed a gentle hand over his hair. This was something, Blaine knew, that Kurt would usually prefer not to do, due to the copious amounts of sticky gel permanently residing in Blaine's dark curls. Blaine therefore appreciated the gesture a great deal, and it did more to comfort him than any of the words Kurt had spoken on the topic before.

‘It will be okay,’ Blaine sighed in agreement.

‘There’s my gorgeous, brave boyfriend,’ Kurt leaned over to press a sweet kiss to his cheek. ‘I’m so proud of you. I love you so much.’ Blaine smiled and returned the favour, but this one was on Kurt’s lips.

‘I love you too.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, guys! I hope you enjoyed it.


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